Behavioural strategies and neurophysiological concepts for rehabilitation of impaired dexterity in subcortical stroke

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Dennis Alexander Nowak
• Subject Area: Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
• Term: from 2008 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 65533436

The project aims to develop behavioural strategies and neurophysiological concepts toimprove dexterity at the affected hand after subcortical stroke. A first study should assess thedeficit of both rapid sensorimotor learning and associative learning when grasping und liftingobjects after subcortical stroke both at a behavioural and neural level. A second study shouldinvestigate the impact of alternative behavioural strategies to improve dexterity after stroke.Such strategies include (i) transfer of object-specific somatosensory information from theunaffected to the affected hand and (ii) associative learning of the relevant mechanical objectproperties with the affected hand based on arbitrary sensory cues. The differential rolesplayed by the primary motor (M1) and dorsal premotor (PMd) cortices for rapid sensorimotorand associative learning, respectively, should be studied on a neural level by fMRI. Based onthe concept of interhemispheric rivalry following stroke, the therapeutic effects of repetitivetranscranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) should be investigated in a third study:1 the effectsof (a) inhibition (1Hz rTMS) of contralesional M1 or (b) facilitation (10Hz rTMS) of ipsilesional M1 on rapid sensorimotor learning when grasping and lifting objects with the affected Hand should be tested.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants