title: Increase in hand muscle strength of stroke patients after somatosensory stimulation.
abstract: It has been proposed that somatosensory input in the form of peripheral nerve stimulation can influence functional measures of motor performance. We studied the effects of median nerve stimulation on pinch muscle strength (a function mediated predominantly by median nerve innervated muscles) in the affected hand of chronic stroke patients. A 2-hour period of median nerve stimulation elicited an increase in pinch strength that outlasted the stimulation period. The improvement in muscle strength correlated with stimulus intensity and was identified in the absence of motor training. These results suggest that somatosensory stimulation may be a promising adjuvant to rehabilitation of the motor deficits in stroke patients.
authors.affiliation: Human Cortical Physiology Section, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1430, USA.
authors.forename: Adriana B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Conforto
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaelin-Lang
authors.forename: Leonardo G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*