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Nerve stimulation may help movement after stroke

Electrical nerve stimulation may help people who've had a stroke relearn how to control hand movements, a small study suggests. Researchers in Germany found that, in stroke patients with impaired hand movements, electrical stimulation of the median nerve in the wrist of the affected hand appears to enhance hand functioning.

The technique, alone or in combination with training, "has the potential to aid relearning of motor skills," Dr. D. A. Nowak, at the University of Cologne, and associates state in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

The researchers studied 12 people who still had mild to moderate impairment of fine motor control of one of their hands more than 6 months after having a stroke.

The procedure involved placing electrodes on the surface of the arm such that a mild current stimulated the median nerve at the wrist. The intensity of the stimulus was calibrated so that it induced strong tingling but no pain.

Hand movements were measured immediately after 2 hours of stimulation, and for comparison after the electrodes had been placed but were not turned on.

Electrical stimulation, but not the "off" condition, increased the rapidity with which the subjects could tap their index finger and their whole hand. Similarly, stimulation increased the velocity of the wrist when they performed reach-to-grasp movements.

Nowak's team concludes that future studies with more stroke survivors are needed to develop the process.

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