New Queen's study of hand-brain function offers insight into recovery for stroke...( the stroke progressively become more e...),Health

the stroke progressively become more easily activated. The changes in the strength of the connections between the brain and muscles lead to improvements in the ability to use the muscles. "This is a good thing," says Brouwer, explaining that this indicates the circuitry responsible for mediating voluntary movement exists. "We can use this information to maximize a patient's recovery with ongoing therapy."

To examine hand muscle control, participants completed three tests including: tapping a single keyboard key with the index finger; picking up pegs one at a time and placing them into holes on a pegboard; and pushing with their index finger against a metal bar that measures force. Performance on these tests were linked to the ease with which brain cells that control muscle functions can be activated; how active the brain cells are at the time of testing; and the strength of the neural connections between the brain and the muscle.

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Contact: Lorinda Peterson
lorinda.peterson@queensu.ca
613-533-3234
Queen's University
16-May-2006

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