title: Left-hand somatosensory stimulation combined with visual scanning training in rehabilitation for post-stroke hemineglect: a randomised, double-blind study.
abstract: The aim of this randomised, double-blind study was to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of left-hand electrical stimulation for patients with post-stroke left visuo-spatial neglect. This approach was hypothesised to enhance activation of the right hemisphere attention system and to improve visual exploration of extrapersonal space. Participants (n = 40) in the study were in a relatively early stage of recovery from their first right hemisphere stroke, and were randomly assigned to the experimental (E) or control (C) group. Group E received conventional visual scanning training combined with electrostimulation of the left hand, while Group C received scanning training with sham stimulation. Their visuo-spatial neglect was assessed twice, prior to the rehabilitation programme and on its completion, using cancellation tests and a letter-reading task. The effect of electrostimulation on hemineglect was assessed following a single administration and after a month-long rehabilitation programme. Although the immediate effect of stimulation was poor, after a month-long rehabilitation period we found significantly greater improvement in Group E patients than in Group C patients. Interestingly, the presence of hemisensory loss did not weaken the observed effect. Therefore, we claim that contralesional hand stimulation combined with visual scanning was a more effective treatment for hemineglect rehabilitation than scanning training alone.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland. kpolanow@ipin.edu.pl
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Polanowska
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seniów
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paprot
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leśniak
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Członkowska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods; D013028:Space Perception; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014796:Visual Perception