Assisted movement with enhanced sensation (AMES): coupling motor and sensory to remediate motor deficits in chronic stroke patients.

Background: Conventional methods of rehabilitation in patients with chronic, severe motor impairments after stroke usually do not lessen paresis.

Objective: A novel therapeutic approach (assisted movement with enhanced sensation [AMES]) was employed in a medical device phase I clinical trial to reduce paresis and spasticity and, thereby, to improve motor function.

Methods: Twenty subjects more than 1 year poststroke with severe motor disability of the upper or lower extremity were studied.