Predicting Motor Sequence Learning in Individuals With Chronic Stroke.
Katie P Wadden, Kristopher De Asis, Cameron S Mang and 4 others
PMID 27511047WHAT IT FOUND
For people with chronic stroke and healthy controls, how fast they improved on a joystick tracking task was related to how well they retained it 24 hours later.
In stroke, arm function predicted retention. Predicted trials to plateau did not separate the groups.
Key findings
01In healthy controls, the rate of repeated-sequence learning was related to retention performance.
02In the stroke group, paretic arm motor function predicted retention, and adding rate of improvement improved prediction for repeated sequences.
03Predicted trials to plateau did not differ significantly between the stroke and control groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 14 people with stroke were studied, all with relatively mild arm impairment (mean Fugl-Meyer 52.7 of 66), so results may not apply to more severely impaired patients. The study tested a joystick tracking task, not a clinical therapy, so it does not test whether a treatment or dose of therapy improves function. The predicted number of trials to plateau was not significantly different between groups and had wide variation, so it cannot be used to prescribe practice dose. The study used one task and a 24-hour retention test, so it does not show how findings apply to other clinical tasks or longer follow-up.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude from this paper that a specific number of practice repetitions will improve motor learning after stroke. The study compared learning curves on a joystick task, and the predicted trials to plateau did not differ significantly between the stroke and control groups.