Bilateral arm training with rhythmic auditory cueing in chronic stroke: not always efficacious.
OBJECTIVE
Bilateral arm training with rhythmic auditory cueing (BATRAC) has been reported to be efficacious in promoting upper-extremity (UE) recovery in chronic stroke. We tested a modified form of BATRAC (modBATRAC) in a new group of participants with a condensed treatment regime to determine whether we could replicate these reported results.


METHODS
Fourteen subjects with chronic stroke completed 2 weeks of 2.25 hours per session, 4 sessions per week of modBATRAC.


RESULTS
No significant changes were observed in UE Fugl-Meyer or Wolf Motor Function Test scores. Subjects did report increased paretic UE use on the Motor Activity Log (mean change, 0.50; SD = 0.70).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study offer only partial support for the efficacy of modBATRAC. As in previous trials, modBATRAC facilitated increased use of the paretic arm, but unlike previous trials, it did not increase motor performance. These differences may reflect a more temporally condensed training schedule and less impaired patients.
Richards
Lorie G
LG
Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/ South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, Florida 32608-1197, USA. lrichard@phhp.ufl.edu
Senesac
Claudia R
CR
Davis
Sandra B
SB
Woodbury
Michelle L
ML
Nadeau
Stephen E
SE
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001132:Arm / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003463:Cues; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D010291:Paresis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010507:Periodicity; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D017211:Treatment Failure