ORIGINS OF EXAGGERATED FINGER FLEXION IN STROKE

中风引起的上肢轻瘫后，自发 手指屈曲常随周出现，然后增加 逐渐地。 这种屈曲通过干扰 手指运动的自主控制。 建议的主要目标 研究的目的是描述滋补性质和可能的原因 通过施加的扰动来控制屈曲姿势， 指导未来的补救措施研究。 拟议的实验寻求 检查挛缩、静态 自发性手指屈曲的张力过高和痉挛，以及测试 皮肤传入神经对这个姿势的影响 静态以及 恒定速度拉伸将施加在外部手指上 掌指关节旋转产生的屈肌，如 耦合到手指的耦合器。 受试者的反应是 在扭矩、角位置和EMG数据方面进行量化。 的 在大脑对侧的手中观察到的音调的位置依赖性 通过检查，将病变与同侧手的病变进行比较 在自主放松状态下记录的扭矩值。 速度 通过牵张反射定量分析依赖性 一系列恒速位移的响应。 审查 皮肤传入的影响，局部麻醉剂将是 施加到手指上并重复拉伸方案。 这些研究 应该提供洞察皮肤传入的作用， 手指屈肌张力和伸肌无力的发展 中风后

Following stroke-induced paresis of the upper extremity, spontaneous finger flexion often appears with weeks, and then increases progressively. This flexion hinders rehabilitation by interfering with voluntary control of finger motion. The primary goal of the proposed research is to characterize the tonic nature and the possible causation of the flexion posture through imposed perturbations, in the hope of directing future research for remedies. The proposed experiments seek to examine the relative contributions of contracture, static hypertonicity, and spasticity to spontaneous finger flexion, and to test the effects of cutaneous afferents on this posture. Static as well as constant-velocity stretches would be imposed on the extrinsic finger flexors by rotation of the metacarpophalangeal joints, as produced by a servomotor coupled to the fingers. Subject response would be quantified in terms of torque, angular position, and EMG data. The position dependence of tone seen in the hand contralateral to the brain lesion would be compared with that of the ipsilateral hand by examining torque values recorded in the voluntarily relaxed state. Velocity dependence would be analyzed through quantification of stretch reflex responses for a series of constant-velocity displacements. To examine the effects of the cutaneous afferents, a topical anesthetic would be applied to the fingers and the stretch protocol repeated. These studies should provide insight into the role of the cutaneous afferents in the development of flexor tone and extensor weakness in the fingers following stroke.