Recruiting

Rehabilitation Methods

Sponsor:

University of Toronto

Code:

NCT06604143

Conditions

Stroke

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 19 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Quality Training

Goal Training

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two rehabilitation methods to improve finger movements in people who have had a stroke. The main question it aims to answer is which of these two training methods leads to the most improvement:

1. Teaching people to reach their movement goals using any strategies they like.
2. Teaching people to improve their movement technique and avoid compensatory strategies.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The second goal is to find out who might benefit more from each method. Some people with stroke may rely on compensatory strategies due to severe impairment, while others with milder strokes might benefit more from techniques that enhance movement quality.

The third goal is to take pictures of the brain to see how it changes with each method. This will help researchers understand how the brain adapts after a stroke and could lead to treatments that target the brain directly.

Participants will:

1. Visit the lab for clinical and research assessments on weeks 1, 4, 5, and 15.
2. Complete 10 days of piano training.
3. Undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans twice, once in week 1 and once in week 4.

Conditions

Stroke

Study ID

NCT06604143

Start date

May 7, 2026

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 19 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Over 18 years of age
  • Diagnosis of first time unilateral ischemic or hemorrhagic
  • Stroke occurrence: > 6 months and < 2 years
  • Able to perform active finger movements (Chedoke-McMaster (CM) Impairment Inventory of the Hand, Stage ≥ 3)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of developmental, neurological, or major psychiatric disorders
  • Cognitive deficits (< 23/30 Montreal Cognitive Assessment)
  • Apraxia (<2SD mean Waterloo Apraxia test)
  • Neglect (> 40/100, Sunnybrook Neglect Assessment Procedure)
  • Cerebellar stroke
  • Musculoskeletal injury affecting motor performance
  • Inability to sit in a chair and perform exercises for sustained periods
  • Contraindications to MRI

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Quality Training Group

active comparator: Goal Training Group

Interventions

Quality Training

Participants will engage in piano playing tasks using their affected hand and fingers. The training focuses on specific aspects of finger movement, and participants will receive feedback related to their playing. They will wear a wrist brace for support, and their hand and arm positions will be monitored to ensure proper technique.

Goal Training

Participants will engage in piano playing tasks using their affected hand and fingers. The training emphasizes learning to play and producing music. Feedback will be provided on various aspects of performance such as speed and accuracy, but specific details about finger movement or technique will not be given. The use of a wrist brace and monitoring of hand and arm positions will be consistent with standard practice.

Primary outcome measure

  • Finger Individuation: Force [ Time Frame: Pre-training (baseline), Post-training-1 (day 3), Post-training-2 (day 7), and Follow-up (3 months) ]
  • Finger Individuation: Joint Angular Excursion [ Time Frame: Pre-training (baseline), Post-training-1 (day 3), Post-training-2 (day 7), and Follow-up (3 months). ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Joyce L Chen, PhD

416-946-5394JOYCELYNN.CHEN@UTORONTO.CA

Locations

University of Toronto

Recruiting

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2W6

Contacts

Joyce L Chen, PhD

416-946-5394JOYCELYNN.CHEN@UTORONTO.CA

Principal Investigator:

Joyce Chen, PhD

Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital

Recruiting

Laval, Quebec, Canada, H7V 1R2

Contacts

Marie-Helene Boudrias, PhD

514-398-5457mh.boudrias@mcgill.ca

Mindy Levin, PhD

514-398-3994mindy.levin@mcgill.ca

Principal Investigator:

Marie-Helene Boudrias, PhD

University Institute for Physical Impairment Rehabilitation of Montreal (IURDPM)

Recruiting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3S 2J4

Contacts

Marie-Helene Boudrias, PhD

514-398-5457mh.boudrias@mcgill.ca

Principal Investigator:

Marie-Helene Boudrias, PhD

Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Center

Recruiting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H4B 1T3

Contacts

Marie-Helene Boudrias, PhD

514-398-5457mh.boudrias@mcgill.ca

Principal Investigator:

Marie-Helene Boudrias, PhD

Jewish General Hopsital

Recruiting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H7V 1R2

Contacts

Alexander Thiel, MD

514 340 8222alexander.thiel@mcgill.ca

More Information

Sponsor

University of Toronto

Last update posted

May 8, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • Motor system
  • Stroke rehabilitation
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Kinematics
  • Music

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Toronto on 2026-05-08.