Abstract
Repetitive sensory stimulation of the fingertip induces Hebbian plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex that benefits the tactile and motor behavior of the hand in healthy younger adults, older adults, and patients. To use this method outside the laboratory, robust and portable stimulation systems are needed that allow prolonged stimulation phases over several hours without compromising on signal intensity or personal mobility. Here, we introduce two stimulation gloves that apply finger- and frequency-specific mechanical stimulation to individual fingertips over prolonged periods. The stimulators are built into commercially available cotton gloves and apply stimulation either via loudspeaker membranes or via linear resonant actuators (LRAs). We tested the efficiency of both gloves to induce Hebbian plasticity in younger adults by using two established measures of tactile performance, the grating orientation task (GOT), and the two-point discrimination task (2PDT). Both tests were performed before and after 3 h of sensory finger stimulation using one of either glove system. As a control condition, a non-stimulated finger was tested in both tasks before and after stimulation. The results show no significant effect of sensory stimulation on GOT thresholds, but a significant decrease in the 2PDT thresholds after compared to before the training at the stimulated finger only. The loudspeaker membrane improved performance in the 2PDT in 10/16 participants, whereas the LRA improved performance in the 2PDT in 13/16 participants. Stimulation gloves with built-in modules may be used in future larger-scale cohort studies on sensorimotor plasticity, rehabilitation, and learning.
Highlights
IntroductionCortical areas that represent the site of sensory stimulation at the skin surface are targeted to induce neuroplastic processes
During repetitive somatosensory stimulation, cortical areas that represent the site of sensory stimulation at the skin surface are targeted to induce neuroplastic processes
The results show no significant effect of sensory stimulation on grating orientation task (GOT) thresholds, but a significant decrease in the 2PDT thresholds after compared to before the training at the stimulated finger only
Summary
Cortical areas that represent the site of sensory stimulation at the skin surface are targeted to induce neuroplastic processes. In such protocols, sensory stimulation is applied to a confined area of skin, such as the fingertip, for prolonged periods, which induces changes at the cortical level, such as the enlargement of finger representations in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex (Pleger et al, 2003), reduced pairedpulse ratios (Höffken et al, 2007), and improvements in tactile, haptic, proprioceptive, and sensorimotor behavior (Dinse et al, 2006; Kalisch et al, 2008; Ragert et al, 2008). Stimulation gloves are one potential method to apply repetitive somatosensory stimulation to patients in a clinical setting or to involve larger cohorts where patients apply the stimulation at their homes
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