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StrokeOPTISTROKENCT04747587

Non-use After Stroke: Influence of Applied Force and Precision When Reaching With the Paretic Upper Limb

A study testing Reaching Session in people with Stroke, run by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes at 2 sites in France.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

After a stroke, 80% of patients have an upper limb deficit, limiting activity. Some develop a non-use: they can, but do not, use their paretic limb. Non-use is a general phenomenon applied to all situations where the patient applies unnecessary compensation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Stroke
What is being tested?
Reaching Session
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
53 participants
Where
2 sitesFrance
Study dates
11 May 2021to 25 Apr 2023
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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patient having had a 1st stroke
  • Patient whose stroke occurred more than a month ago.
  • Patient having had a supratentorial stroke
  • Patient able to touch the opposite knee with the paretic arm
  • Subject who has never had a stroke
  • Subject without motor or orthopedic impairment of the upper limbs and in particular of the shoulder
Show all 10Show fewer
  • General inclusion criteria:
  • Subject who has given free and informed consent.
  • Subject who signed the consent form.
  • Subject affiliated or beneficiary of a health insurance plan.

Who cannot join

  • Pregnant, parturient or breastfeeding subject.
  • The subject is participating in a category 1 interventional study, or is in a period of exclusion determined by a previous study
  • The subject refuses to sign the consent
  • It is impossible to give the subject informed information
  • The patient is under safeguard of justice or state guardianship
  • Patient with cognitive disorders incompatible with a good understanding of the use of the device
  • Patient with other neurological or osteoarticular history that may limit the performance of the task - criterion left to the deiscretion of the investigator

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

France2 sites
  • CHU de Montpellier

    Montpellier

  • CHU de Nîmes

    Nîmes

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: Non-use après Accident Vasculaire cérébral : Influence de la Force et de la précision du Geste à Fournir Lors Des Mouvements du Membre supérieur parétique

After a stroke, 80% of patients have an upper limb deficit, limiting activity. Some develop a non-use: they can, but do not, use their paretic limb. Non-use is a general phenomenon applied to all situations where the patient applies unnecessary compensation. Several rehabilitation techniques are effective to counter non-use, but there is insufficient knowledge to choose the most suitable technique. Optimal control theory could help guide these choices. It assumes that the chosen coordination satisfies the constraints of the task (force, amplitude, tolerance) while reducing the cost of the movement. This study will assess non-use by anticipating the sensitivity to the constraints of force and precision deduced from the logic of optimal control. The study authors expect to observe a weakness effect: in a reaching task (i.e. when the person has to touch an object placed in front of them), lightening the paretic arm makes it possible to reduce non-use, and a precision effect: in a reaching task, non-use increases with the required spatial precision.

Conditions
Stroke
Being tested
Reaching Session
Keywords
Non-use, Compensation, Weakness, Optimal control
Medical subject headings
Stroke, Asthenia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Reaching SessionOther

    Two x 45 minutes sessions of reaching tasks. Patients in the stroke group will perform the task with the paretic arm using a weight reduction system, allowing movement in the horizontal plane.

    Subjects in the control group will perform the task with the randomly selected arm weighted at 80% of their maximum voluntary shoulder torque

Study groups in NCT04747587
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Patients with strokeExperimentalNot described
Receives: Other: Reaching Session
ControlsExperimentalNot described
Receives: Other: Reaching Session

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the extent of force constraint

    Proximal Arm Non Use (PANU) score (%): A significant PANU (> 7.5%) indicates non-use

    Measured: Inclusion

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the precision required

    PANU score (%): Physiological non-use considered as a decrease in PANU due to to the increase in the size of the target; A psychological non-use considered as absence of decrease in PANU, regardless of the condition

    Measured: Inclusion

  2. Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use in the control subjects according to the constraints of force or precision

    PANU score (%) of force and precision

    Measured: Inclusion

  3. Evaluate the level of neuromuscular activation during reaching

    % Voluntary Maximum Contraction (VMC) of anterior and intermediate part of the deltoid, biceps brachii and pectoralis major

    Measured: Inclusion

  4. Model the constraints and costs explaining non-use patient by patient, to distinguish between physiological and psycho-behavioral non-use

    Weight-over-force ratio of the arm (Ratio between 0 \& + ∞)

    Measured: Inclusion

  5. Time since stroke (acute, subacute or chronic phase)

    months

    Measured: Inclusion

  6. Intensity of arm deficit

    Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity score ) (score between 0 and 66)

    Measured: Inclusion

  7. height of the target

    Evaluate changes in the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the height of the target to be reached with PANU score (%) : A significant PANU (> 7.5%) indicates non-use

    Measured: Inclusion

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Feb 2021
  2. Study start11 May 2021
  3. Primary completion25 Apr 2023
  4. Study completion25 Apr 2023

Resources

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
Other
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
53 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04747587
Sponsor's protocol ID
NIMAO/2020-1/JF-01
Other IDs
NCT04747587
Acronym
OPTISTROKE
Status last verified
Dec 2025
First submitted
5 Feb 2021
Last updated
18 Dec 2025
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Anonymised raw datasets and code used for the analysis will be available on reasonable request.

Publications

  • Faity G, Mottet D, Froger J, Delorme M. Neuromechanics of Nonuse and Compensation: Implications for Rehabilitation After Stroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2026 May 4;40(8):15459683261445442. doi: 10.1177/15459683261445442. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 42080459

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Reaching Session in people with Stroke, run by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes at 2 sites in France.

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 10 inclusion and 7 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 18 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in France. 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?

Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the extent of force constraint (time frame: Inclusion). 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 NCT04747587, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 18 Dec 2025.

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