Finger strength, individuation, and their interaction: Relationship to hand function and corticospinal tract injury after stroke.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:The goal of this study was to determine the relative contributions of finger weakness and reduced finger individuation to reduced hand function after stroke, and their association with corticospinal tract (CST) injury. METHODS:We measured individuated and synergistic maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs) of the index and middle fingers, in both flexion and extension, of 26 individuals with a chronic stroke using a robotic exoskeleton. We quantified finger strength and individuation, and defined a novel metric that combines them - "multifinger capacity". We used stepwise linear regression to identify which measure best predicted hand function (Box and Blocks Test, Nine Hole Peg Test) and arm impairment (the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Test). RESULTS:Compared to metrics of strength

SUBMITTER: Wolbrecht ET 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5856636 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature