Gerard Fluet, Ph.D.

It has proven difficult to identify differences in effectiveness when comparing rehabilitation interventions in persons with stroke. A majority of the studies examining rehabilitation interventions utilize clinical measures of motor function. My group identified three differences in adaptations to two dose matched rehabilitation interventions using kinematic measures of upper extremity function. Two more studies run in our lab examine the relationship between changes in kinematic measures of upper extremity function and changes in real world function following motor interventions. Powerful neuro-plastic processes drive cortical re-organization in the days and weeks immediately following a stroke. These processes, their interaction with motor behavior and the impact of this interaction on functional recovery in persons with stroke are poorly understood. Our group studies the impact of focused motor practice on the recovery of hand function and the normalization of the neural control of hand function following a stroke.

The US Health care delivery system has placed limits on the duration of rehabilitation services available to persons with strokes. This has resulted in a demand for systems that provide access to rehabilitation activities that can be performed by patients in their homes Our group has developed a home-based rehabilitation system designed to improve the hand function of persons with hemiparesis due to stroke.  We have studied the impact of the design of the system on its effectiveness and the ability of users to incorporate exercising with the system into their daily lives.