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Skilled Bimanual Training Drives Motor Cortex Plasticity in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

ABSTRACT: Background Intensive bimanual therapy can improve hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP). We compared the effects of structured bimanual skill training versus unstructured bimanual practice on motor outcomes and motor map plasticity in children with USCP. Objective We hypothesized that structured skill training would produce greater motor map plasticity than unstructured practice. Methods Twenty children with USCP (average age 9.5; 12 males) received therapy in a day camp setting, 6 h/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks. In structured skill training (n = 10), children performed progressively more difficult movements and practiced functional goals. In unstructured practice (n = 10), children engaged in bimanual activities but did not practice skillful movements or functional goals. We used the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA), Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF), and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to measure hand function. We used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to map the representation of first dorsal interosseous and flexor carpi radialis muscles bilaterally. Results Both groups showed significant improvements in bimanual hand use (AHA; P < .05) and hand dexterity (JTTHF; P < .001). However, only the structured skill group showed increases in the size of the affected hand motor map and amplitudes of motor evoked potentials (P < .01). Most children who showed the most functional improvements (COPM) had the largest changes in map size. Conclusions These findings uncover a dichotomy of plasticity: the unstructured practice group improved hand function but did not show changes in motor maps. Skill training is important for driving motor cortex plasticity in children with USCP.

SUBMITTER: Friel KM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4981562 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Skilled Bimanual Training Drives Motor Cortex Plasticity in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

Friel Kathleen M KM Kuo Hsing-Ching HC Fuller Jason J Ferre Claudio L CL Brandão Marina M Carmel Jason B JB Bleyenheuft Yannick Y Gowatsky Jaimie L JL Stanford Arielle D AD Rowny Stefan B SB Luber Bruce B Bassi Bruce B Murphy David L K DL Lisanby Sarah H SH Gordon Andrew M AM

Neurorehabilitation and neural repair 20160211 9

Background Intensive bimanual therapy can improve hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP). We compared the effects of structured bimanual skill training versus unstructured bimanual practice on motor outcomes and motor map plasticity in children with USCP. Objective We hypothesized that structured skill training would produce greater motor map plasticity than unstructured practice. Methods Twenty children with USCP (average age 9.5; 12 males) received therapy in a ...[more]

PMID: 26867559

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Project description:Combined non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and rehabilitation interventions have the potential to improve function in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP), however their effects on developing brain function are not well understood. In a proof-of-principle study, we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to measure changes in corticospinal excitability and relationships to motor performance following a randomized controlled trial consisting of 10 days of combined constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the contralesional motor cortex. Twenty children and young adults (mean age = 12 years, 9 months, range = 7 years, 7 months, 21 years, 7 months) with UCP participated. TMS testing was performed before, after, and 6 months after the intervention to measure motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and cortical silent period (CSP) duration. The association between neurophysiologic and motor outcomes and differences in excitability between hemispheres were examined. Contralesional MEP amplitude decreased as hypothesized in five of five participants receiving active tDCS immediately after and 6 months after the intervention, however no statistically significant differences between intervention groups were noted for MEP amplitude [mean difference = -323.9 μV, 95% CI = (-989, 341), p = 0.34] or CSP duration [mean difference = 3.9 ms, 95% CI = (-7.7, 15.5), p = 0.51]. Changes in corticospinal excitability were not statistically associated with improvements in hand function after the intervention. Across all participants, MEP amplitudes measured in the more-affected hand from both contralesional (mean difference = -474.5 μV) and ipsilesional hemispheres (-624.5 μV) were smaller compared to the less-affected hand. Assessing neurophysiologic changes after tDCS in children with UCP provides an understanding of long-term effects on brain excitability to help determine its potential as a therapeutic intervention. Additional investigation into the neurophysiologic effects of tDCS in larger samples of children with UCP are needed to confirm these findings.

Project description:IntroductionChildren with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) have difficulty in bimanual coordination that restricts the child's independence in daily activities. Although several efficacious interventions to improve bimanual coordination exist, these interventions often require higher training doses and have modest effect sizes. Thus, there is a critical need to find an effective priming agent that, when paired with task-specific training, will facilitate neurobiological processes to enhance the magnitude of training effects and subsequently improve functional capabilities of children with UCP. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of a novel priming agent, remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC), combined with bimanual training on bimanual skill learning and corticospinal excitability in children with UCP.Methods and analyses46 children, aged 8-16 years, will be randomly assigned to receive RIC or sham conditioning combined with 5 days of bimanual skill (cup stacking) training (15 trials per session). RIC or sham conditioning will be performed with a standard conditioning protocol of five cycles of alternative inflation and deflation of a pressure cuff on the affected arm with the pressure of at least 20 mm Hg above systolic blood pressure for RIC and 25 mm Hg for sham conditioning. Primary outcomes will be movement time and corticospinal excitability measures determined with a single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Secondary outcomes include Assisting Hand Assessment, spatio-temporal kinematic variables and paired pulse TMS measures. All measures will be conducted before and immediately after the intervention. A mixed model analysis of variance will test the group×time interaction for all outcomes with group (RIC and sham) as between-subject and time (preintervention, postintervention) as within-subject factors.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the University Medical Centre Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB #21-001913). We will disseminate the study findings via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at professional conferences.Trial registration numberNCT05777070.

Dataset Information

Skilled Bimanual Training Drives Motor Cortex Plasticity in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

Publications

Skilled Bimanual Training Drives Motor Cortex Plasticity in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

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