Clinical Research Directory

CNS Changes Following Upper Limb Loss

The objective of this study is to better understand the structural and functional changes that the central nervous system (CNS) undergoes following congenital upper limb loss. The focus is on the brain's sensory processing and how neuronal changes may relate to clinical measures. By doing so, the hope is to gain insight into the contribution of critical periods to the plasticity of the sensorimotor processing stream. Both macroscopic and microscopic changes of the brain will be examined in individuals with upper limb amelia and compared to healthy controls. fMRI will be combined with behavioural testing to understand which clinical and behavioural determinants drive somatosensory representations along the entire somatosensory processing stream. Using advanced imaging techniques, the aim is to investigate the contribution of brainstem reorganisation to plasticity observed at the cortical level and, by doing so, gain a better understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings of functional reorganisation. Overall, the hope is to provide the first mechanistic insight into whether early life experiences are crucial for the development of the relay nuclei in the central nervous system and how these changes relate to clinical measures such as adaptive behaviours or pain.

SoftHand Comparison Study

A trial to compare the performance of the SoftHand Pro (SHP) and Ossur i-Limb in people with transradial limb loss over an 8-week period.

Effects of Myoelectric Channel Count and Targeting for Upper Limb Prosthetic Control

The goal of this clinical trial is to systematically evaluate whether or not two commonly held fundamental assumptions for pattern recognition control translates to functional performance when tested on individuals aged 18 years or older with upper limb absence at the transradial level while wearing a physical prosthesis. The specific aims of this study are: 1. To evaluate the effect of changing untargeted myoelectric channel count on the functional performance of transradial prosthesis users wearing a fully functional prosthesis via functional outcomes measures such as the Box and Blocks test. 2. To evaluate the effect of changing myoelectric channel targeting of a fixed number of myoelectric channels on the functional performance of transradial prosthesis users wearing a fully functional prosthesis via functional outcomes measures such as the Box and Blocks test. Researchers will perform a randomized crossover study to compare system configurations with different number of sensor channels and with various strategies for sensor placement on the limb. Participants will be assigned to a random test sequence that includes the following four different EMG channel conditions: Condition A: 4 untargeted channels Condition B: 8 untargeted channels Condition C: Up to 16 untargeted channels Condition D: 8 targeted channels Researchers will evaluate the effects of changing myoelectric channel counts on the functional prosthesis performance of individuals with transradial limb loss via functional outcome measures. Participants will: * Attend up to 5 in-lab sessions that are expected to last 4 hours. * Conduct site visits every 1-2 weeks to complete functional and self reported outcome measures with each condition. * Play virtual games with the Coapt Cuff for 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week in between visits.

To Assess the Utility of the Point Mini in a Clinical Take-home Study

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Point Mini system as compared to the subject's existing prosthetic treatment, which may include a prosthesis, other assistive device, or no device. This study will be a single subject crossover design where one group of 14 children with partial hand deficiencies will be evaluated on several metrics using their existing prosthetic treatment for one month and the Point Mini system for two months. Metrics include: in-clinic functional measures, subjective assessments, bilateral hand use, and prosthesis wear time.