@article{238b8c0824b84fd29a0b37d5a1d207e4,
title = "Effects of somatosensory stimulation on use-dependent plasticity in chronic stroke",
abstract = "Background and Purpose - There is a need to develop strategies to enhance the beneficial effects of motor training, including use-dependent plasticity (UDP), in neurorehabilitation. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) modulates motor cortical excitability in healthy humans and could influence training effects in stroke patients. Methods - We compared the ability of PNS applied to the (1) arm, (2) leg, and (3) idle time to influence training effects in the paretic hand in 7 chronic stroke patients. The end point measure was the magnitude of UDP. Results - UDP was more prominent with arm stimulation (increased by 22.8\%) than with idle time (by 2.9\%) or leg stimulation (by 6.4\%). Conclusions - PNS applied to the paretic limb paired with motor training enhances training effects on cortical plasticity in stroke patients.",
keywords = "Nerve stimulation, Neuronal plasticity, Stimulation, Stroke, Transcranial magnetic",
author = "Lumy Sawaki and Wu, \{Carolyn W.H.\} and Alain Kaelin-Lang and Cohen, \{Leonardo G.\}",
year = "2006",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1161/01.STR.0000195130.16843.ac",
language = "English",
volume = "37",
pages = "246--247",
number = "1",
}