A research study in the Human Motor Control Laboratory at the University of Tasmania is investigating a new therapeutic treatment to help recover arm and hand function following a stroke. The project, funded by the Australian Research Council and the Brain Foundation, is being conducted by Professor Jeff Summers and colleagues, in collaboration with the University of Florida.
Each year approximately 40,000 Australians suffer a stroke with one third experiencing some form of permanent disability. The most common physical disability is weakness and impaired movement ability of the arm and hand on one side of the body, a condition known as hemiparesis. The condition makes it difficult to perform everyday tasks such as unscrewing the lid of a jar, pouring a cup of coffee or tying one’s shoelaces. Hemiparesis causes many stroke survivors to become reliant on family members or carers for assistance with daily living. The loss of independence is psychologically difficult for the stroke survivor and their family and places tremendous financial strain on the Australian healthcare system. With the rapid ageing of the Australian population, the number of individuals in this situation is expected to increase in the future. However, researchers in the Human Motor Control Laboratory are investigating new approaches to help stroke survivors recover from hemiparesis and improve use of their affected arm.
The current project is investigating the effect of a therapy involving electrical muscle stimulation on movement ability and brain function in stroke survivors. A special muscle stimulator, Neuromove, uses electrodes placed over the muscles of the forearm to sense when a person tries to move their arm. The device then provides electrical stimulation to the muscles that assist the movement. Professor Summers says that recent research at the University of Florida shows this is a promising therapy, with participants improving use of their affected arm after three weeks of therapy. In an effort to further develop the technique, the Human Motor Control Laboratory are exploring whether changes in brain function accompany improvements in arm and hand use during a course of therapy.

Participating in the current stroke research

We would like to invite persons who have experienced a stroke to participate in the current Neuromove study. You will be asked to perform the arm movements with your unimpaired arm resting on the table or moving together with the impaired arm.
We will measure responses in these muscles prior to and following your participation in a movement training program involving the use of electrical stimulation. We hope that this research will confirm that electrical stimulation is an effective intervention to improve the motor function in your impaired upper limb and that TMS will be shown to be a useful tool in the planning and evaluation of rehabilitation strategies.

What would my participation involve?
The research will take place in the Human Motor Control Laboratory, Room 228, Arts Building Level 2, University of Tasmania, (03) 6226 2243.

The research will involve (a) measurements of brain function using transcranial magnetic stimulation, and (b) a motor recovery-training program involving movements of your fingers and wrist. During the motor recovery-training program, you will be performing movements with your wrist and fingers while wearing sticky pads (electrodes) on your impaired arm (as in the photographs below).

The motor recovery training will be undertaken over six sessions in a three-week period. Each session lasts one hour.

How do I take part?
The Human Motor Control Laboratory is currently seeking volunteers from the Hobart community who have experienced their first stroke and have some impairment of hand use to participate in the study. If you are interested in taking part in this research project, and would like more information, please complete the questions below and click on ‘submit’. We will then telephone you to talk about the study. Information that you provide is private and confidential and will be used only to provide some background information if you decide to participate in the study. Otherwise, you can contact Wayne Dicker on (03) 6226 2243 or Mike Garry on (03) 6226 2204. Leave a message and we will contact you as soon as possible.