Motor Imagery Added to Robot-Assisted Hand Rehabilitation After Stroke

NCT07760090 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: Uskudar26Uskudar University
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Loss of upper extremity and particularly hand function after stroke reduces independence in daily activities such as eating, dressing, and personal care. Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation provides repetitive, intensive, and task-oriented practice that supports motor learning, dexterity, and functional hand use. Motor imagery, the mental rehearsal of a movement without physically performing it, is thought to activate motor-related brain networks and to support motor learning and neuroplasticity. Evidence on the added value of combining motor imagery with robot-assisted hand rehabilitation for activities of daily living is limited. This randomized controlled trial will investigate whether motor imagery training added to robot-assisted hand rehabilitation produces greater improvement in activities of daily living than robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone in individuals with stroke. Forty participants will be randomly allocated to an experimental group (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery, n=20) or a control group (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone, n=20). Both groups will receive the same dose of robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove, three days per week for six weeks. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after the six-week program.

Conditions

Stroke; Hemiparesis; Activities of Daily Living

Keywords

motor imagery; mental practice; robot-assisted rehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in independence in activities of daily living (Barthel Index)

  The Barthel Index assesses independence in basic activities of daily living including feeding, bathing, grooming, dressing, toilet use, transfers, walking, stair climbing, and bladder and bowel control. Total score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater independence.

  Baseline and after the six-week intervention program (week 6)

Study Arms (2)

Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove, three days per week for six weeks, 40 to 60 minutes per session, plus motor imagery training in which they mentally rehearse hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life before physically performing them. Verbal guidance is provided when needed.

Other: Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation; Behavioral: Motor imagery training

Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove at the same frequency, duration, and session length as the experimental group, three days per week for six weeks, 40 to 60 minutes per session, without motor imagery training.

Other: Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation

Interventions

Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation OTHER

Individual, physiotherapist-supervised robot-assisted hand rehabilitation delivered with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove (Syrebo), providing repetitive task-oriented hand opening, closing, and grasping practice. Three sessions per week for six weeks, approximately 40 to 60 minutes per session.

Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone; Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery

Motor imagery training BEHAVIORAL

Mental rehearsal of hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life, performed before the corresponding physical movement, with verbal guidance when needed. Delivered in the same sessions as robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, three days per week for six weeks.

Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 18 years or older
• Diagnosis of stroke
• Impairment of upper extremity function, particularly hand function
• Modified Ashworth Scale grade of 2 or below in the wrist and finger flexors
• Hand and finger range of motion sufficient for safe application of the robotic hand rehabilitation glove
• Attention and cooperation sufficient to participate in motor imagery training

You may not qualify if:

• Severe cognitive, visual, or hearing impairment
• Additional neurological or orthopaedic disease affecting the upper extremity
• Modified Ashworth Scale grade above 2 in the wrist and finger flexors
• Marked contracture, advanced joint restriction, or pain preventing the intervention
• Skin problems, open wounds, or infection preventing the use of the robotic hand rehabilitation glove
• Inability to attend the intervention program regularly

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Uskudar University: lead

Related Publications (3)

• Lambert KJ, Hoar C, Houle J, Motley C, Ball N, Leung AW. Motor imagery as an intervention to improve activities of daily living post-stroke: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Br J Occup Ther. 2023 May;86(5):335-348. doi: 10.1177/03080226221145441. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

  PMID: 40336516 BACKGROUND

• Mehrholz J, Pohl M, Platz T, Kugler J, Elsner B. Electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training for improving activities of daily living, arm function, and arm muscle strength after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Sep 3;9(9):CD006876. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006876.pub5.

  PMID: 30175845 BACKGROUND

• Ietswaart M, Johnston M, Dijkerman HC, Joice S, Scott CL, MacWalter RS, Hamilton SJ. Mental practice with motor imagery in stroke recovery: randomized controlled trial of efficacy. Brain. 2011 May;134(Pt 5):1373-86. doi: 10.1093/brain/awr077. Epub 2011 Apr 22.

  PMID: 21515905 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stroke; Paresis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Seda Kabak

  Üsküdar University

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Ömer Şevgin

CONTACT

+905069787535; omer.sevgin@uskudar.edu.tr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: Two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 7, 2026
• First Posted: August 12, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): August 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026
• Last Updated: August 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share