Long-term sensorimotor and therapeutical effects of a mild regime of prism adaptation in spatial neglect. A double-blind RCT essay

This study is aimed at exploring the long-term sensory-motor, cognitive and functional effects produced by weekly PA sessions over a period of four weeks. A double-blind, monocentric randomized and controlled trial (RCT) was carried out. Twenty patients with left NS secondary to a stroke were included, 10 in the “prism” group and 10 in the “control” group. The sensory-motor effects of PA were evaluated by measurement of manual and visual straight-ahead, and also by precision of pointing without visual feedback before and after each PA session. The functional independence measure (FIM) was evaluated before and at 1, 3 and 6 months after PA, while SN severity was assessed using the behavioural inattention test (BIT) before and 6 months after PA. Before the intervention, only manual straight-ahead pointing constituted a reproducible sensory-motor measurement. During prism exposure, a questionnaire showed that not a single patient perceived the direct effects of optical deviation on pointing movement performance. The sensory-motor after-effects produced by the PA regime favored a more rapid reduction of the rightward manual straight-ahead, which was secondarily followed by visual straight-ahead. These sensory-motor effects help to elucidate the action mechanisms of PA on SN. At the conclusion of the 6-month follow-up, the two groups showed similar improvement, indicating that a weekly PA session over 4 weeks does not suffice to produce long-term functional benefit. This i...
Source: Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine - Category: Rehabilitation Source Type: research