Interhemispheric Connectivity and Compensation

This is an interventional basic science trial for Peripheral Nerve Injury Upper Limb focused on measuring laterality of motor control, movement, functional magnetic resonance imaging, functional laterality Read More

This study contains two groups: typical controls and patients. Participants will be matched by age and sex between the two groups. No randomization will occur.

A. Inclusion criteria (all participants):

1. Age ≥ 18
2. English speaking and reading
3. Able to fit in Prisma scanner bore (60 cm diameter)
4. Right hand dominant (self report, and Edinburgh handedness ≥ +40)

B. Inclusion criteria (patients only):

1. Chronic unilateral upper extremity peripheral nerve injury to the right side

   • "Chronic" defined as ≥ 6 months since injury
   • "Upper extremity" defined as hand, arm, or shoulder (including e.g. brachial plexus)
   • "Injury" defined as localized cause (e.g. mechanical/tumor, not distributed pathology), including compression

2. Some impairment to writing, requiring both of:

   • Difficulty writing, as determined by score 2+ (Mild+) on "How much difficulty have you had in the last week with writing?" (From Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand survey question #2)
   • Box and Blocks motor performance ≥1 standard deviation below the mean of age-matched healthy adults (Mathiowetz et al. 1985, AJOT).

C. Exclusion criteria (all participants)

1. Chronic pain diagnosis unrelated to the nerve injury
2. Uncorrected visual impairment that interferes with ability to see drawings in MRI
3. Motor function diagnoses that affect the left arm, now or in past 2 years

4. Motor function diagnoses currently affecting the right hand, unrelated to the nerve injury

   • This is not meant to exclude a single event with complex consequences (e.g. nerve and tendon)
   • This is not meant to exclude multiple nerve injuries in the same arm, if each one is eligible (II.B.1)
   • This is meant to exclude e.g. injury and unrelated musculoskeletal disorder in same arm
5. Upper extremity surgery, including peripheral nerve surgery, within last 2 months
6. Contraindication for MRI
7. Amputation affecting any part of thumb, index, or middle fingers (including higher level, e.g. whole hand)

8. Diagnosis of schizophrenia or other rare psychiatric disorder

   • This is not meant to exclude depression or anxiety

9. History of major neurological diagnosis, e.g. stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

   • This is not meant to exclude concussion UNLESS < 6 months ago, or post-concussion syndrome (diagnosed or self-report)

D. Exclusion criteria (controls only)

1. Motor function diagnoses that affect either arm, now or in past 2 years

E. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) Some participants from both groups may receive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). If these participants have contraindication for TMS (e.g. family history of seizure disorder), these patients will be excluded from the study or excluded from TMS.