The results also suggested that “the ‘critical period’ for estrogen or progesterone’s benefits on the brain may be prior to menopause, but the findings should be interpreted with caution,” Dr. Greendale said.
Neurology. 2009;72(21):1850-1857.
Nerve Stimulation May Aid Dexterity After Stroke
NEW YORK, June 2 (Reuters Health) — Electrical nerve stimulation may help people who have had a stroke relearn how to control hand movements, a small study suggested.
Researchers in Germany found that, in stroke patients with impaired hand movements, electrical stimulation of the median nerve in the wrist of the affected hand appears to enhance hand functioning.
The technique, alone or in combination with training, “has the potential to aid relearning of motor skills,” Dr. D. A. Nowak, at the University of Cologne, Germany, and associates stated in the June Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The researchers studied 12 people who still had mild to moderate impairment of fine motor control of one of their hands more than six months after having a stroke.
The procedure involved placing electrodes on the surface of the arm such that a mild current stimulated the median nerve at the wrist. The intensity of the stimulus was calibrated so that it induced strong tingling but no pain.
Hand movements were measured immediately after two hours of stimulation and for comparison after the electrodes had been placed but were not turned on.
Electrical stimulation, but not the “off” condition, increased the rapidity with which the subjects could tap their index finger and their whole hand. Similarly, stimulation increased the velocity of the wrist when they performed reach-to-grasp movements.
Dr. Nowak’s team concluded that future studies with more stroke survivors are needed to see if adding electrical nerve stimulation to physiotherapy really does improve “impaired motor function of the hand in daily life after stroke.”
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2009;80(6):614-619.