How complete is the reporting of somatic sensory training interventions in individuals following a stroke? Protocol for a systematic review.

Background: To implement intervention from research to clinical practice, treatments must be adequately described in randomized clinical trials. Specific reporting guidelines, such as the TIDieR checklist, have been developed to enhance the reporting of intervention in clinical trials. Objective: We aim to evaluate the adherence to the TIDieR checklist in randomized controlled trials evaluating somatic sensory training interventions in individuals following a stroke. Material and Methods: We will perform a systematic review of the literature, searching PubMed, CENTRAL, and PEDro for randomized controlled trials that evaluate the efficacy of any rehabilitative intervention on somatic sensation in patients with a history of stroke, independently form the comparator. Two authors independently will evaluate the completeness of the reporting of the intervention using the TIDieR checklist. A descriptive analysis of the total score and the individual items of the TIDieR will be produced. Ethics and dissemination: A manuscript with results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal in the rehabilitation field.

Broad and Long-Lasting Vision Improvements in Youth With Infantile Nystagmus After Home Training With a Perceptual Learning App

Current treatments for infantile nystagmus (IN), focused on dampening the oscillating eye movements, yield little to no improvement in visual functioning. It makes sense, however, to treat the visual impairments associated with IN with tailored sensory training. Recently, we developed such a training, targeting visual crowding as an important bottleneck in visual functioning with an eye-movement engaging letter discrimination task. This training improved visual performance of children with IN, but most children had not reached plateau performance after 10 supervised training sessions (3,500 trials). Here, we evaluate the effects of prolonged perceptual learning (14,000 trials) in 7-18-year-old children with IN and test the feasibility of tablet-based, at-home intervention. Results demonstrate that prolonged home-based perceptual training results in stable, long lasting visual acuity improvements at distance and near, with remarkably good transfer to reading and even stereopsis. Improvements on self-reported functional vision scores underline the clinical relevance of perceptual learning with e-health apps for individuals with IN.

SENSory re-learning of the UPPer limb (SENSUPP) after stroke: development and description of a novel intervention using the TIDieR checklist

Background Sensorimotor impairments of upper limb (UL) are common after stroke, leading to difficulty to use the UL in daily life. Even though many have sensory impairments in the UL, specific sensory training is often lacking in stroke rehabilitation. Thus, the aim of this paper is to provide a detailed description of the novel intervention “SENSory re-learning of the UPPer limb after stroke (SENSUPP)” that we have developed to improve functioning in the UL in persons with mild to moderate impairments after stroke. Methods The SENSUPP protocol was designed using information from literature reviews, clinical experience and through consultation of experts in the field. The protocol integrates learning principles based on current neurobiological knowledge and includes repetitive intensive practice, difficulty graded exercises, attentive exploration of a stimulus with focus on the sensory component, and task-specific training in meaningful activities that includes feedback. For reporting the SENSUPP protocol, the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist was used. Results The essential features of the SENSUPP intervention comprise four components: applying learning principles based on current neurobiological knowledge, sensory re-learning (exercises for touch discrimination, proprioception and tactile object recognition), task-specific training in meaningful activities, and home-training. The training is performed twice a week, in 2.5-h sessions for 5 weeks. Conclusion Since there is close interaction between the sensory and motor systems, the SENSUPP intervention may be a promising method to improve UL functioning after stroke. The TIDieR checklist has been very useful for reporting the procedure and development of the training. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT03336749. Registered on 8 November 2017.

A new adaptive procedure for estimating perceptual thresholds: the effects of observer bias and its correction.

Adaptive threshold estimation procedures sample close to a subject's perceptual threshold by dynamically adapting the stimulation based on the subject's performance. Yet, perceptual thresholds not only depend on the observers' sensory capabilities but also on any bias in terms of their expectations and response preferences, thus distorting the precision of the threshold estimates. Using the framework of signal detection theory (SDT), independent estimates of both, an observer's sensitivity and internal processing bias can be delineated from threshold estimates. While this approach is commonly available for estimation procedures engaging the method of constant stimuli (MCS), correction procedures for adaptive methods (AM) are only scarcely applied. In this article, we introduce a new AM that takes individual biases into account, and that allows for a bias-corrected assessment of subjects' sensitivity. This novel AM is validated with simulations and compared to a typical MCS-procedure, for which the implementation of bias correction has been previously demonstrated. Comparing AM and MCS demonstrates the viability of the presented AM. Besides its feasibility, the results of the simulation reveal both, advantages, and limitations of the proposed AM. The procedure has considerable practical implications, in particular for the design of shaping procedures in sensory training experiments, in which task difficulty has to be constantly adapted to an observer's performance, to improve training efficiency.

Upper extremity sensory training after stroke

Introduction. Stroke is one of the leading causes for disability worldwide. After stroke, the majority of stroke survivors experience significant arm-hand impairments and a decreased use of the paretic arm and hand in daily life. Tactile sensibility of the hand is essential for identifying objects and for motor performance. Despite important sensory contributions to normal and abnormal movement, research has predominantly focused on motor aspects of stroke recovery. In this paper, we present the effect of sensory stimulation program on arm sensation and motor recovery in subacute stroke. Case outline. In a 65 years old woman the sensibility stimulation program was administered in subacute phase of post-stroke rehabilitation, six weeks after stroke, involving active and passive somatosensory intervention, motor control, coordination, strength and balance exercises. The rehabilitation protocol was applied for four weeks, five times a week. On discharge, the results of physiotherapy assessment showed full recovery of her right arm and hand. Conclusion. This case report shows that precise assessment, problems identification and problem oriented somatosensory interventions can improve, for short period, functional motor performance of the arm involved in rehabilitation after stroke.

Pengaruh Familiar Auditory Sensory Training Pada Tingkat Kesadaran Pasien Stroke Di RSD dr. Soebandi Jember

ABSTRAKStroke dapat menyebabkan penurunan kesadaran. Pada kasus stroke dengan penurunan kesadaran dapat mengakibatkan pasien mengalami kematian, defisit neurologi, semakin lamanya waktu perawatan, dan akan meningkatkan biyaya perawatan. Kasus stroke dengan penurunan kesadaran banyak dijumpai di RSD dr. Soebandi Jember. Namun upaya perawat dalam meningkatkan kesadaran pasien berfokus pada terapi farmakologi sehingga memerlukan terapi non farmakologi seperti terapi Familiar Auditory Sensory Training (FAST) untuk membantu proses pemulihan kesadaran. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh FAST pada tingkat kesadaran pasien stroke. Penelitian didesain dengan quasi experimental menggunakan rancangan Non equivalent control group melibatkan 29 pasien stroke yang mengalami penurunan kesadaran. 29 pasien dibagi menjadi 15 kelompok intervensi yang diberi terapi FAST selama tiga hari. FAST diberikan 3 kali sehari. 14 pasien berikutnya dalam kelompok kontrol hanya dilakukan pemeriksaan GCS. Tingkat kesadaran pasien diukur menggunakan instrumen Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) yang terdiri dari 3 komponen yakni respon mata, verbal, dan motorik. Data dianalisis dalam SPSS menggunakan uji Mann-Whitney dan uji Wilcoxon. Hasil analisis uji baik pada kelompok intervensi maupun kontrol diperoleh nilai p 0,010 (nilai p α). Hasil uji yang signifikan membuktikan bahwa ada pengaruh FAST dalam meningkatkan kesadaran pasien stroke. FAST dapat dijadikan terapi nonfarmakologi untuk membantu proses pemulihan kesadaran pada pasien stroke.ABSTRACTStroke can cause a decrease in consciousness. In the case of stroke with decreased consciousness can result in the patient experiencing death, neurological deficits, the longer treatment time, and will increase the cost of treatment. Cases of stroke with decreased consciousness are often found in RSD dr. Soebandi Jember. However, nurses' efforts in increasing patient awareness focus on pharmacological therapy so that it requires non-pharmacological therapy such as Familiar Auditory Sensory Training (FAST) therapy to help the process of recovering consciousness. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of FAST on the level of awareness of stroke patients. This study involved 29 stroke patients who experienced a decrease in consciousness. 29 patients were divided into 15 intervention groups who were given FAST therapy for three days. FAST is given 3 times a day. The next 14 patients in the control group only performed GCS examination. The level of patient awareness was measured using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) instrument consisting of 3 components namely eye, verbal, and motor response. Data were analyzed in SPSS using the Mann-Whitney test and Wilcoxon test. The results of the test analysis in the intervention and control groups obtained p-value 0.010 (p-value α). Significant test results prove that there is an influence of FAST in increasing stroke patient awareness. This study shows that nurses should be able to increase the application of nonpharmacological therapies such as FAST to help the process of recovering consciousness in stroke patients.

Sensory Profiles of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder with and without Feeding Problems: A Comparative Study in Sicilian Subjects

The aim of this study is to better understand the relationship between sensory and feeding problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by comparing sensory responsiveness of ASD children with (ASD-W) and without (ASD-WO) feeding problems. The feeding and sensory characteristics of 111 children with ASD (37 ASD-W and 74 ASD-WO) were assessed by using two questionnaires tapping on feeding problems and two on sensory problems. A comparative study was carried out with between-group as well as intra-group comparisons design; a correlation analysis was also added. A statistically significant correlation was found between sensory and feeding problems. ASD-W children showed more severe and extensively impaired sensory responses than ASD-WO, with lower sensory adaptation and more generalized and severe deficits in all subdomains. Taste/Smell sensitivity was strongly impaired only in ASD-W, whereas in ASD-WO it was found to be a point of strength. Both groups showed a Hyporesponsive profile, though it was more marked in ASD-W. Both groups showed strengths in Visual/Auditory sensitivity, Low-Energy/Weak, and Movement sensitivity, again more marked in ASD-WO. These results might prove to be particularly useful for sensory training and psychoeducational treatment.