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Addressing arm non-use by encouraging idle-time activity during early recovery from stroke

Award Number: R21HD106132
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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Addressing arm non-use by encouraging idle-time activity during early recovery from stroke - Many survivors of stroke habitually refrain from using their more-involved arm during common daily activities despite retaining sufficient motor capability to perform movements. This phenomenon of learned non-use is a leading cause of disability. Our project will assess the functional utility and subjective patient experience using a personal exercise cueing system designed to increase arm use by motivating arm activity in the days and weeks following stroke. Our work is based on the premise that motor recovery may be enhanced by increasing the amount of hemiparetic arm exercise in the earliest stages of recovery, wherein inpatients spend most of their time idle and alone. As an adjunct to conventional therapy, we developed low-cost wearable technology to motivate and monitor unsupervised exercise of the hemiparetic arm during idle-time. We expect that the proposed system will give patients more agency over their own therapy, increase their level of participation, and ultimately increase their functional independence. This project takes critical first steps evaluating technology and procedures designed to motivate idle-time exercise during acute stroke recovery. The low-cost system uses vibrotactile cues to encourage exercises designed to progressively engage paretic arm use. The system uses accelerometry to monitor paretic and non- paretic arm use, and to infer compliance with prescribed exercises. The system requires minimal intervention by a skilled therapist. Survivors of stroke will evaluate the system for two weeks in the inpatient rehabilitation unit of a local hospital. The work is needed to show that our approach can motivate increased exercise without significant therapist oversight, and to determine if patients find the system usable, motivating, and satisfactory to use. Thus, our Aims are: Aim 1: To establish the functional utility of a personal exercise cueing system in an inpatient setting during the days and weeks following stroke. We will analyze accelerometry data to verify that the system can motivate greater hemiparetic arm activity during cued exercise intervals vs. intervals without cues. Aim 2: To characterize the subjective patient experience using a personal exercise cueing system during acute recovery on the inpatient rehabilitation unit. At the end of the 2-week inpatient experience, participants will be asked to complete questionnaires assessing their perceptions of system usability, intrinsic motivation, and their satisfaction in using the system in its intended environment. We expect that participants will have positive subjective experiences using the system as inpatients. Project success will provide critical support for future clinical trials that will be designed to optimize and evaluate the efficacy of early idle-time exercise interventions to increase hemiparetic arm use and quality of life after stroke. This R21 project will also provide pilot data that will inform the design of those larger follow-on studies.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2023	MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY	313 N 13TH ST	MILWAUKEE	WI	53233	MILWAUKEE	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	12/16/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $188,361 )
2023	2023	MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY	915 W WISCONSIN AVE RM 175	MILWAUKEE	WI	53233	MILWAUKEE	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	7/6/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$188,361
														Subtotal = $188,361

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $239,411 )
2022	2022	MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY	915 W WISCONSIN AVE RM 175	MILWAUKEE	WI	53233	MILWAUKEE	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	6/29/2022	NEW	$239,411
														Subtotal = $239,411

Grand Total All Awards = $427,772

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Addressing arm non-use by encouraging idle-time activity during early recovery from stroke

Award Number: R21HD106132

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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