TRACS study Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Tracking Reticulospinal And Corticospinal pathways after Stroke (TRACS) study
IRAS ID
311492
Contact name
Nick Ward
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Unviersity College London (UCL)
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2022/03/48, UCL data protection number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 28 days
Research summary
There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK and with more than 100,000 people having strokes each year (State of the Nation Stroke Statistics, 2018). A major impairment following stroke is hemiplegia (weakness of one half of the body) with more than three quarters of stroke survivors reporting upper limb weakness (State of the Nation Stroke Statistics, 2018). Many of these stroke survivors continue to experience poor upper limb function for the rest of their life. Intensive rehabilitation programmes such as the Queen Square Upper Limb programme (QSUL) have demonstrated that substantial improvements can still be made during the chronic (post 6-months) stage of stroke (Ward, Brander and Kelly, 2019).
Chronic stroke survivors are varied in their upper limb function, anatomical damage and physiology, which results in the need for tailored rehabilitation programmes, however, there is still little evidence demonstrating how the individual physiology of chronic stroke survivors interacts with rehabilitation. This study will measure the strength of two motor pathways (corticospinal and reticulospinal) after stroke, to determine how this influences rehabilitation of the upper limb. Strength of these pathways will be assessed using a behavioural test and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Chronic stroke survivors without contradictions to TMS will be eligible to take part in this study, for either one or two sessions (3 weeks apart). Stroke survivors enrolled on the Queen Square Upper Limb programme can take part in this study, which will enable us to understand the impact of rehabilitation on motor physiology. The study will take place at the Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, 33 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG. In the future, grouping stroke survivors by these types of physiological measurements may allow for individual tailoring of rehabilitation programmes to fit stroke survivors’ needs, supporting them to make the best recovery possible.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0123
Date of REC Opinion
14 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion