Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Comparative Efficacy Research of Uni- vs Bi-lateral Arm Training Poststroke: Task-Related or Robotic
Brief Summary: This proposed project aims to

* compare the effects of dose-matched unilateral vs bilateral vs unilateral combined with bilateral upper limb rehabilitation based on task-related practice
* compare the effects of unilateral vs bilateral training based on robot-assisted devices
* study the predictors of treatment outcomes and clinimetric properties of the biomechanical measures


Options:
A: Inclusion criteria Patients will not be excluded because of somatosensory deficits or the nature of previous physical interventions. We will not randomize patients on the basis of side of stroke or hand dominance but will undertake secondary data analyses examining these variables. In past applications of one form of RTP, CI therapy, to chronic stroke patients in the laboratories of Taub and Miltner, there were no significant differences in treatment effects for patients with right and left-sided strokes. In previous evaluations of CI therapy, Taub did not find any difference in outcomes among the small percentage of patients with pre-morbid left dominance. Therefore, there is no reason to exclude these patients from participation. We believe that the motivation to improve use of an affected pre-stroke non-dominant upper extremity is sufficiently strong to support profound improvement from treating that limb as well as from treating the dominant limb. Distributions of dominance and hand preference have been acquired from patients meeting eligibility criteria in 1998 at several sites for determining participation of sites for the EXCITE trial and side of cerebral pathology showed remarkably equal left-right distribution.

Exclusion criteria

1. a score of less than 24 on the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination or a score of 36 or below on the Token Test of the Multilingual Aphasia Examination
2. a first stroke less than 3 months or more than 9 months prior to the initiation of therapy
3. less than 18 years old
4. clinical judgment of excessive frailty or lack of stamina (e.g., cannot attend to instructions, stay awake, engage in functional activities, etc.)
5. serious uncontrolled medical conditions
6. excessive pain in any joint of the more affected extremity that could limit ability to cooperate with the intervention, as judged by the examining clinician
7. passive range of motion less than 45 degrees for: abduction, flexion or external rotation at shoulder, or pronation of forearm; or greater than 30 degrees flexion contracture at any finger joint (patients who pass the motor criteria specified above do not tend to have the type of pain or limitation of movement that would exclude them from treatment)
8. unable to stand independently for 2 min., transfer independently to and from the toilet or perform sit-to-stand
9. current participation in other pharmacological or physical intervention studies, or have received injections of anti-spasticity drugs into upper extremity musculature within the past 3 months, or wish to have drugs injected in the foreseeable future
10. receiving any anti-spasticity drugs orally at the time of expected participation
11. received phenol injections less than 12 months prior to receiving therapy
12. contemplating a move from proximity to the treatment site in less than 1 year from the randomization date. Prospective patients who qualify but who have profound postural instability will undergo the intervention while walking with contact guarding or, when feasible, using their leg(s) and more involved arm to propel a wheelchair.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* 40 to 75 years old
* 6 to 24 months after stroke onset from a first-ever unilateral stroke
* An initial 26 to 56 scores on the UE subsection of the
* Premorbid right-hand dominance evaluated by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory
* No excessive spasticity in the shoulder and elbow joints of the affected UE (Modified Ashworth Scale score ≤ 3 in each joint)
* Sufficient cognitive ability, defined as a score of more than 24 on the Mini Mental State Examination

Exclusion Criteria:

* Physician-determined major medical problems or poor physical condition that would interfere with participation
* Excessive pain in any joint that might limit participation
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Subjects must have a clinically, defined, unilateral, hemiparetic stroke with radiologic exclusion of other diagnoses
* Stroke onset greater than six months before randomization for ischemic stroke patients and one year before randomization for hemorrhagic stroke patients
* A grade 3 or lower in Manual Muscle Test in the hemiparetic elbow flexion and shoulder abduction

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects unable to give informed consent
* Serious complicating medical illness
* Contracture or orthopedic problems limiting the range of joint movement in the study arm
* Visual loss
* Stroke occurred within 6 months for ischemic stroke patients, one year for hemorrhagic patients
* Botox treatment within 3 months of enrollment
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. recent unilateral single stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) verified by brain CT or MRI;
2. sufficient cognitive and language skills to understand the instructions of the operator (assessed by Modified Mini-Mental State Examination \> 21);
3. patients with upper limb paralysis (Motor Power score between 8 and 12);
4. written informed consent signed by the patient (or an authorized representative).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. cardiovascular instability (severe uncontrolled hypertension, severe coronary artery disease, etc.) or orthopedic, or neurological conditions;
2. presence of multiple cerebrovascular lesions (usually the result of many ischemic episodes in the past);
3. early appearance of marked spasticity (≥ 3 according to Ashworth Scale);
4. joint pain or limited joint range of motion (ROM) of the upper limb that results in the inability to complete the protocol;
5. severe neuropsychologic impairment (global aphasia, severe attention deficit or neglect), affecting the patient's ability to follow instructions;

Answer: B