Feasibility of Using Prism Adaptation to Treat Spatial Neglect and Motor Function in Stroke
Condition: Stroke
MeSH terms: Stroke
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This research project is a study designed to address both motor and cognitive changes after
      stroke. Treatment for SN is elusive however there is support for prism adaptation treatment
      (PAT). Therapists need to know more about the effects of this treatment and if it is feasible
      in a group of stroke survivors with multiple lesions because these are the patients they are
      treating in the clinical setting. Also, it has not been investigated that using PAT to
      remediate SN will then as a result increase spontaneous UE movement of the weak limb.
    

Detailed description: 
      This research project is a study designed to address both motor and cognitive changes after
      stroke, two common stroke disabilities. For example: two third of patients reported loss of
      upper limb function as a major problem after stroke and spatial neglect occurs in more than
      350,000 US right hemisphere stroke survivors annually. These two impairments if not treated,
      lead to immediate impairment in basic life activities, long term functional disability,
      increased risk for falls and increased healthcare costs. The literature displays many strong
      research studies that trialed the use of multiple treatment approaches to remediate spatial
      neglect, including prism adaptation treatment (PAT), resulting in positive results. Similar
      findings result for treatment studies that attempt to remediate the upper extremity (UE).
      However, in all group of patients that were tested in these studies (both for spatial neglect
      and UE dysfunction) only had one stroke and past medical histories that were unremarkable.
      Rehabilitation professionals help clients that have had all types of strokes achieve improved
      quality of life by helping to increase independence by remediating impairment. In addition,
      these professionals need to know more about the effects of PAT in stroke survivors with
      multiple lesions because these are patients commonly being treated in the clinical setting.
      Also, it has not been investigated whether using PAT, a very promising and easy to administer
      treatment, to remediate spatial neglect will also increase spontaneous UE movement of the
      limb affected by the stroke because of an influence on motor-intentional aiming errors. Thus,
      in this pilot research proposal, the researcher intends to first investigate the feasibility
      of this two week treatment on stroke survivors that have had multiple lesions and second
      verify if PAT will improve spatial neglect and jointly increase spontaneous movement of the
      UE.
    

Intervention name(s): Prism Adaptation
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): PAT uses wedged prism lenses to displace the entire visual field horizontally to the left or right (depending on the orientation of the base of the prism). The left-base prism lenses (thicker on the left) shift the entire visual field to the right. The result is a curving reaching trajectory, aiming toward the image location (right to the actual location) and then corrected toward the actual location. After several reaching movement, the coordinates of motor and visual systems are aligned, which in other words, is that the motor output adapts to the visual input, and thus the reaching trajectory is straight ahead to the object. This visually-guided goal-oriented movement is essential in PAT.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment