Influence of Handedness on Upper Limb Recovery

NCT07357181 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: CHUO-2025-19
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 500
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This prospective, single-center observational study evaluates whether handedness is associated with upper-limb motor recovery after a recent unilateral stroke. Adults admitted to the stroke unit with a confirmed unilateral stroke within 5 days are included if they do not object to participation. Upper-limb impairment is assessed early after stroke and at 6 months using standardized clinical scales. Handedness is determined by self-report, and the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory is administered when feasible. The main hypothesis is that left-handed participants may show better upper-limb motor recovery at 6 months than right-handed participants, potentially due to differences in brain motor network lateralization.

Conditions

Stroke

Keywords

Stroke; Handedness; Motricity; Upper Limb; Manual preference; Motor impairment; Motor recovery

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) Score

  Upper-limb motor impairment measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) at 6 months post-stroke. Scores range from 0 to 66, with higher scores indicating less impairment. Primary analysis is performed among participants with baseline FMA-UE less than 66.

  month 6

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Mean Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) Score

  Baseline

• Proportion of Left-Handed Participants

  Baseline

• Mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) Score

  Baseline

• Number of Participants With Upper-Limb Weakness

  Baseline

• Correlation Between Edinburgh Handedness Inventory Laterality Quotient and Baseline FMA-UE Score

  Baseline

Study Arms (1)

Patients with confirmed unilateral recent stroke

Other: evaluation

Interventions

evaluation OTHER

Patients will be evaluated at baseline for Edinburgh Handedness Inventory Laterality Quotient. Patients will be seen again at 6 months as part of their standard post-stroke consultation at Orléans University Hospital by a neurologist from the neurology department. In conjunction with this consultation, an assessment specific to this research study of the FMA-UE and SAFE scores will be carried out by a physiotherapist from the department.

Patients with confirmed unilateral recent stroke

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults hospitalized in the stroke unit of Orléans University Hospital with a confirmed unilateral recent stroke.

You may qualify if:

• Confirmed unilateral recent stroke (less than 5 days).
• Age 18 years and older.
• Participant or proxy does not object to participation

You may not qualify if:

• Prior stroke with residual motor sequelae.
• Pre-stroke upper-limb deficit.
• Follow-up at 6 months not planned at Orléans.
• Protected adult (guardianship/curatorship), person under legal protection, or deprived of liberty.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding woman.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Régional d'Orléans: lead

Study Sites (1)

CHU Orléans

Orléans, 45067, France

RECRUITING

Related Publications (6)

• Harris JE, Eng JJ. Individuals with the dominant hand affected following stroke demonstrate less impairment than those with the nondominant hand affected. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2006 Sep;20(3):380-9. doi: 10.1177/1545968305284528.

  PMID: 16885424 BACKGROUND

• Papadatou-Pastou M, Ntolka E, Schmitz J, Martin M, Munafo MR, Ocklenburg S, Paracchini S. Human handedness: A meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2020 Jun;146(6):481-524. doi: 10.1037/bul0000229. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

  PMID: 32237881 BACKGROUND

• Bonnal J, Pila O, Papin C, Lebkowski L, Sarrazin M, Bravo R, Prieur F. Handedness and task demands modulate motor cortex lateralization: A cross-sectional fNIRS study. Neuroimage. 2025 Dec 1;323:121578. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121578. Epub 2025 Nov 9.

  PMID: 41218702 BACKGROUND

• Tzourio-Mazoyer N, Petit L, Zago L, Crivello F, Vinuesa N, Joliot M, Jobard G, Mellet E, Mazoyer B. Between-hand difference in ipsilateral deactivation is associated with hand lateralization: fMRI mapping of 284 volunteers balanced for handedness. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015 Feb 6;9:5. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00005. eCollection 2015.

  PMID: 25705184 BACKGROUND

• Darling WG, Helle N, Pizzimenti MA, Rotella DL, Hynes SM, Ge J, Stilwell-Morecraft KS, Morecraft RJ. Laterality affects spontaneous recovery of contralateral hand motor function following motor cortex injury in rhesus monkeys. Exp Brain Res. 2013 Jul;228(1):9-24. doi: 10.1007/s00221-013-3533-1. Epub 2013 May 8.

  PMID: 23652723 BACKGROUND

• Solodkin A, Hlustik P, Noll DC, Small SL. Lateralization of motor circuits and handedness during finger movements. Eur J Neurol. 2001 Sep;8(5):425-34. doi: 10.1046/j.1468-1331.2001.00242.x.

  PMID: 11554905 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stroke

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Central Study Contacts

Julien BONNAL, MK

CONTACT

00332 38 74 46 65; julien.bonnal@chu-orleans.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2026
• First Posted: January 21, 2026
• Study Start: June 2, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2028
• Last Updated: June 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

FR (1)