Combining Cyproheptadine Hydrochloride With Targeted Muscle Activation Training to Treat Upper Extremity Stroke: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective: To examine a treatment for upper extremity impairment in stroke survivors that combines administration of cyproheptadine hydrochloride with repetitive practice focused on control of muscle activation patterns.

Design: Double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Settings: Laboratory within a free-standing rehabilitation hospital.

Use of cyproheptadine hydrochloride (HCl) to reduce neuromuscular hypertonicity in stroke survivors: A Randomized Trial: Reducing Hypertonicity in Stroke.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine how the administration and dosing of the anti-serotonergic medication cyproheptadine hydrochloride (HCl) affects involuntary muscle hypertonicity of the spastic and paretic hands of stroke survivors.

Materials And Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled longitudinal intervention study was performed as a component of a larger clinical trial. 94 stroke survivors with chronic, severe hand impairment, rated as levels 2 or 3 on the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment Stage of Hand (CMSA-H), were block randomized to groups receiving doses of cyproheptadine HCl or matched doses of placebo.

Use of an EMG-Controlled Game as a Therapeutic Tool to Retrain Hand Muscle Activation Patterns Following Stroke: A Pilot Study.

Background/purpose: To determine the feasibility of training with electromyographically (EMG) controlled games to improve control of muscle activation patterns in stroke survivors.

Methods: Twenty chronic stroke survivors (>6 months) with moderate hand impairment were randomized to train either unilaterally (paretic only) or bilaterally over 9 one-hour training sessions. EMG signals from the unilateral or bilateral limbs controlled a cursor location on a computer screen for gameplay.