Validity and Reliability of Sensorimotor Processing Paradigm

Sensorimotor function of the upper limb is often impaired after stroke, even in the chronic phase (minimum 6 months after stroke). Currently, an optimal assessment for sensory processing, one of the most important sensory functions, does not exists. However, our research team has developed a novel assessment paradigm using the KINARM End-Point robot to assess the level of sensory processing of the upper limb. Within a previous study, the investigators examined the validity within 20 chronic stroke patients and 80 age-matched healthy controls by comparing the novel robotic assessment with a set of existing clinical and robotic assessments for the upper limb. The investigators hypothesize that the stroke patients will show a poorer performance on this novel assessment compared to the healthy controls, that the novel assessment will show better correlation coefficients with other sensory tests compared to motor tests, that the novel assessment can differentiate between different motor subgroups of chronic stroke patients, and that the novel assessment shows good test-retest reliability.