StrokeNCT07760090
Motor Imagery Added to Robot-Assisted Hand Rehabilitation After Stroke
A study testing Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation and Motor imagery training in people with Stroke and Hemiparesis, run by Uskudar University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
Loss of upper extremity and particularly hand function after stroke reduces independence in daily activities such as eating, dressing, and personal care. Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation provides repetitive, intensive, and task-oriented practice that supports motor learning, dexterity, and functional hand use. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Stroke, Hemiparesis, Activities of Daily Living
- What is being tested?
- Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation and Motor imagery training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 30 Jun 2026to 31 Aug 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Aged 18 years or older
- Diagnosis of stroke
- Impairment of upper extremity function, particularly hand function
- Modified Ashworth Scale grade of 2 or below in the wrist and finger flexors
- Hand and finger range of motion sufficient for safe application of the robotic hand rehabilitation glove
- Attention and cooperation sufficient to participate in motor imagery training
Who cannot join
- Severe cognitive, visual, or hearing impairment
- Additional neurological or orthopaedic disease affecting the upper extremity
- Modified Ashworth Scale grade above 2 in the wrist and finger flexors
- Marked contracture, advanced joint restriction, or pain preventing the intervention
- Skin problems, open wounds, or infection preventing the use of the robotic hand rehabilitation glove
- Inability to attend the intervention program regularly
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Motor Imagery Training Added to Robot-Assisted Hand Rehabilitation on Activities of Daily Living in Patients With Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Loss of upper extremity and particularly hand function after stroke reduces independence in daily activities such as eating, dressing, and personal care. Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation provides repetitive, intensive, and task-oriented practice that supports motor learning, dexterity, and functional hand use. Motor imagery, the mental rehearsal of a movement without physically performing it, is thought to activate motor-related brain networks and to support motor learning and neuroplasticity. Evidence on the added value of combining motor imagery with robot-assisted hand rehabilitation for activities of daily living is limited. This randomized controlled trial will investigate whether motor imagery training added to robot-assisted hand rehabilitation produces greater improvement in activities of daily living than robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone in individuals with stroke. Forty participants will be randomly allocated to an experimental group (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery, n=20) or a control group (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone, n=20). Both groups will receive the same dose of robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove, three days per week for six weeks. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after the six-week program.
Read the detailed description
Design and setting This is a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial conducted at NRL Physical Therapy Medical Center. Institutional permission for the study site has been obtained.
Participants Forty individuals aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of stroke and impairment of upper extremity and hand function will be enrolled. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants before any study procedure. Randomization Participants will be allocated 1:1 to the experimental or the control group using a sealed envelope method, resulting in 20 participants per group. Interventions Both groups will receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation delivered with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove (Syrebo). Sessions will be individual, supervised by a physiotherapist, delivered three days per week for six weeks, and will last approximately 40 to 60 minutes each. In addition to robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, participants in the experimental group will perform motor imagery training, in which they will be asked to mentally rehearse hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life before physically performing them. Verbal guidance will be provided during motor imagery when needed. The control group will not receive motor imagery training. Attendance will be monitored by the investigator using a session log. Sessions will be terminated in case of pain, excessive fatigue, discomfort, or if the participant does not wish to continue. Outcome assessment Assessments will be performed before the start of the intervention program and repeated after the six-week program is completed. A sociodemographic and clinical information form will record age, sex, education, marital status, occupation, time since stroke, affected side, hand dominance, comorbidities, medications, and previous rehabilitation. Independence in activities of daily living will be assessed with the Barthel Index, hand function related activity limitation with the Duruoz Hand Index, gross manual dexterity with the Box and Block Test, and spasticity of the wrist and finger flexors with the Modified Ashworth Scale. Variables The independent variable is the rehabilitation program (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone versus robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery). The dependent variables are the Barthel Index score, the Duruoz Hand Index score, the Box and Block Test score, and the Modified Ashworth Scale grade. Statistical analysis Data will be analysed with SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics will be presented as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage. A p value below 0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Sample size and effect size calculations were performed with G*Power. Ethics and data protection Personal information will be kept confidential, data will be recorded in coded form, and will be used for scientific purposes only. Participants may withdraw at any time. No blood sampling, drug administration, or surgical procedure will be performed.
- Conditions
- Stroke, Hemiparesis, Activities of Daily Living
- Being tested
- Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, Motor imagery training
- Keywords
- motor imagery, mental practice, robot-assisted rehabilitation
- Medical subject headings
- Stroke, Paresis
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Robot-assisted hand rehabilitationOther
Individual, physiotherapist-supervised robot-assisted hand rehabilitation delivered with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove (Syrebo), providing repetitive task-oriented hand opening, closing, and grasping practice. Three sessions per week for six weeks, approximately 40 to 60 minutes per session.
Motor imagery trainingBehavioural
Mental rehearsal of hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life, performed before the corresponding physical movement, with verbal guidance when needed. Delivered in the same sessions as robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, three days per week for six weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery | Experimental | Participants receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove, three days per week for six weeks, 40 to 60 minutes per session, plus motor imagery training in which they mentally rehearse hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life before physically performing them. Verbal guidance is provided when needed. Receives: Other: Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation; Behavioral: Motor imagery training |
| Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone | Active comparator | Participants receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove at the same frequency, duration, and session length as the experimental group, three days per week for six weeks, 40 to 60 minutes per session, without motor imagery training. Receives: Other: Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in independence in activities of daily living (Barthel Index)
The Barthel Index assesses independence in basic activities of daily living including feeding, bathing, grooming, dressing, toilet use, transfers, walking, stair climbing, and bladder and bowel control. Total score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater independence.
Measured: Baseline and after the six-week intervention program (week 6)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Aug 2026
- Study start30 Jun 2026
- Primary completion15 Aug 2026
- Study completion31 Aug 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for StrokeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Uskudar University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Doç.Dr.Ömer Şevgin, Uskudar University
- Investigators
- Seda Kabak, Study chair, Üsküdar University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07760090
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Uskudar26
- Other IDs
- Uskudar University
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 1 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be made publicly available. De-identified data supporting the findings may be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request, subject to institutional approval.
Publications
Lambert KJ, Hoar C, Houle J, Motley C, Ball N, Leung AW. Motor imagery as an intervention to improve activities of daily living post-stroke: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Br J Occup Ther. 2023 May;86(5):335-348. doi: 10.1177/03080226221145441. Epub 2023 Feb 7.
PubMed 40336516Mehrholz J, Pohl M, Platz T, Kugler J, Elsner B. Electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training for improving activities of daily living, arm function, and arm muscle strength after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Sep 3;9(9):CD006876. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006876.pub5.
PubMed 30175845Ietswaart M, Johnston M, Dijkerman HC, Joice S, Scott CL, MacWalter RS, Hamilton SJ. Mental practice with motor imagery in stroke recovery: randomized controlled trial of efficacy. Brain. 2011 May;134(Pt 5):1373-86. doi: 10.1093/brain/awr077. Epub 2011 Apr 22.
PubMed 21515905
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Motor Imagery Training Added to Robot-Assisted Hand Rehabilitation on Activities of Daily Living in Patients With Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07760090
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Uskudar26
- Conditions
- Stroke, Hemiparesis, Activities of Daily Living
- Keywords
- motor imagery, mental practice, robot-assisted rehabilitation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Uskudar UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 30 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 12 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Loss of upper extremity and particularly hand function after stroke reduces independence in daily activities such as eating, dressing, and personal care. Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation provides repetitive, intensive, and task-oriented practice that supports motor learning, dexterity, and functional hand use. Motor imagery, the mental rehearsal of a movement without physically performing it, is thought to activate motor-related brain networks and to support motor learning and neuroplasticity. Evidence on the added value of combining motor imagery with robot-assisted hand rehabilitation for activities of daily living is limited. This randomized controlled trial will investigate whether motor imagery training added to robot-assisted hand rehabilitation produces greater improvement in activities of daily living than robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone in individuals with stroke. Forty participants will be randomly allocated to an experimental group (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery, n=20) or a control group (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone, n=20). Both groups will receive the same dose of robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove, three days per week for six weeks. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after the six-week program.
Detailed description
Design and setting This is a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial conducted at NRL Physical Therapy Medical Center. Institutional permission for the study site has been obtained.
Participants Forty individuals aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of stroke and impairment of upper extremity and hand function will be enrolled. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants before any study procedure. Randomization Participants will be allocated 1:1 to the experimental or the control group using a sealed envelope method, resulting in 20 participants per group. Interventions Both groups will receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation delivered with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove (Syrebo). Sessions will be individual, supervised by a physiotherapist, delivered three days per week for six weeks, and will last approximately 40 to 60 minutes each. In addition to robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, participants in the experimental group will perform motor imagery training, in which they will be asked to mentally rehearse hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life before physically performing them. Verbal guidance will be provided during motor imagery when needed. The control group will not receive motor imagery training. Attendance will be monitored by the investigator using a session log. Sessions will be terminated in case of pain, excessive fatigue, discomfort, or if the participant does not wish to continue. Outcome assessment Assessments will be performed before the start of the intervention program and repeated after the six-week program is completed. A sociodemographic and clinical information form will record age, sex, education, marital status, occupation, time since stroke, affected side, hand dominance, comorbidities, medications, and previous rehabilitation. Independence in activities of daily living will be assessed with the Barthel Index, hand function related activity limitation with the Duruoz Hand Index, gross manual dexterity with the Box and Block Test, and spasticity of the wrist and finger flexors with the Modified Ashworth Scale. Variables The independent variable is the rehabilitation program (robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone versus robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery). The dependent variables are the Barthel Index score, the Duruoz Hand Index score, the Box and Block Test score, and the Modified Ashworth Scale grade. Statistical analysis Data will be analysed with SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics will be presented as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage. A p value below 0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Sample size and effect size calculations were performed with G*Power. Ethics and data protection Personal information will be kept confidential, data will be recorded in coded form, and will be used for scientific purposes only. Participants may withdraw at any time. No blood sampling, drug administration, or surgical procedure will be performed.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery | Experimental | Other: Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, Behavioral: Motor imagery trainingParticipants receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove, three days per week for six weeks, 40 to 60 minutes per session, plus motor imagery training in which they mentally rehearse hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life before physically performing them. Verbal guidance is provided when needed. |
| Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone | Active comparator | Other: Robot-assisted hand rehabilitationParticipants receive robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove at the same frequency, duration, and session length as the experimental group, three days per week for six weeks, 40 to 60 minutes per session, without motor imagery training. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Aged 18 years or older
- Diagnosis of stroke
- Impairment of upper extremity function, particularly hand function
- Modified Ashworth Scale grade of 2 or below in the wrist and finger flexors
- Hand and finger range of motion sufficient for safe application of the robotic hand rehabilitation glove
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Severe cognitive, visual, or hearing impairment
- Additional neurological or orthopaedic disease affecting the upper extremity
- Modified Ashworth Scale grade above 2 in the wrist and finger flexors
- Marked contracture, advanced joint restriction, or pain preventing the intervention
- Skin problems, open wounds, or infection preventing the use of the robotic hand rehabilitation glove
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Robot-assisted hand rehabilitationIndividual, physiotherapist-supervised robot-assisted hand rehabilitation delivered with a soft robotic hand rehabilitation glove (Syrebo), providing repetitive task-oriented hand opening, closing, and grasping practice. Three sessions per week for six weeks, approximately 40 to 60 minutes per session. | Other | Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation alone, Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery |
| Motor imagery trainingMental rehearsal of hand opening and closing, grasping, object holding, and hand movements used in daily life, performed before the corresponding physical movement, with verbal guidance when needed. Delivered in the same sessions as robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, three days per week for six weeks. | Behavioural | Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation plus motor imagery |
Primary outcome
Change in independence in activities of daily living (Barthel Index)
Time frame: Baseline and after the six-week intervention program (week 6)
The Barthel Index assesses independence in basic activities of daily living including feeding, bathing, grooming, dressing, toilet use, transfers, walking, stair climbing, and bladder and bowel control. Total score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater independence.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Sep 2026.
- Background: PubMed 40336516Lambert KJ, Hoar C, Houle J, Motley C, Ball N, Leung AW. Motor imagery as an intervention to improve activities of daily living post-stroke: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Br J Occup Ther. 2023 May;86(5):335-348. doi: 10.1177/03080226221145441. Epub 2023 Feb 7.
- Background: PubMed 30175845Mehrholz J, Pohl M, Platz T, Kugler J, Elsner B. Electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training for improving activities of daily living, arm function, and arm muscle strength after stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Sep 3;9(9):CD006876. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006876.pub5.
- Background: PubMed 21515905Ietswaart M, Johnston M, Dijkerman HC, Joice S, Scott CL, MacWalter RS, Hamilton SJ. Mental practice with motor imagery in stroke recovery: randomized controlled trial of efficacy. Brain. 2011 May;134(Pt 5):1373-86. doi: 10.1093/brain/awr077. Epub 2011 Apr 22.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data will not be made publicly available. De-identified data supporting the findings may be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request, subject to institutional approval.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Seda Kabak study chair
Üsküdar University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation and Motor imagery training in people with Stroke and Hemiparesis, run by Uskudar University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in independence in activities of daily living (Barthel Index) (time frame: Baseline and after the six-week intervention program (week 6)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07760090, which also lists 3 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Sep 2026.