title: Effects of repetitive electrical stimulation to treat sensory loss in persons poststroke.
abstract: Smith PS, Dinse HR, Kalisch T, Johnson M, Walker-Batson D. Effects of repetitive electrical stimulation to treat sensory loss in persons poststroke.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effectiveness of repetitive electrical stimulation referred to here as tactile coactivation and to improve sensory discrimination and function in the most involved hand of a person recovering from stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-experimental 1-group (n=4) design with multiple measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatient stroke treatment center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects with 6 months or longer poststroke with self-reported sensory loss and a mild motor impairment in the most involved hand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electrical stimulation (coactivation) of the fingers of the involved hand for 90 minutes 4 days a week for 6 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary-dependent measures included touch threshold, tactile acuity, haptic object recognition, motor tapping task, pegboard activities, and functional tasks from the Wolf Motor Function Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Posttreatment assessments revealed improvements in sensory discrimination and motor task performance in all subjects in varying degrees; these results held 4 weeks posttreatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The type of repetitive electrical stimulation or tactile coactivation used in this study has not been explored previously in subjects with sensory loss caused by stroke. The results of this pilot study suggest that coactivation may have the potential to be a useful therapeutic modality for this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA. patricia.smith@utsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Patricia S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Hubert R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Dinse
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kalisch
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Delaina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walker-Batson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*