Secondary use of health care data and left-over biosamples within the 'Medical Informatics Initiative' (MII): a quasi-randomized controlled evaluation of patient perceptions and preferences regarding the consent process.

Background: Data collected during routine health care and ensuing analytical results bear the potential to provide valuable information to improve the overall health care of patients. However, little is known about how patients prefer to be informed about the possible usage of their routine data and/or biosamples for research purposes before reaching a consent decision. Specifically, we investigated the setting, the timing and the responsible staff for the information and consent process.

Towards a comprehensive and interoperable representation of consent-based data usage permissions in the German medical informatics initiative.

Background: The aim of the German Medical Informatics Initiative is to establish a national infrastructure for integrating and sharing health data. To this, Data Integration Centers are set up at university medical centers, which address data harmonization, information security and data protection. To capture patient consent, a common informed consent template has been developed.

Predicting Training Gain for a 3 Week Period of Arm Ability Training in the Subacute Stage After Stroke.

Biomarkers for gains of evidence based interventions for upper limb motor training in the subacute stage following stroke have rarely been described. Information about these parameters might help to identify patients who benefit from specific interventions and to determine individually expected behavioral gains for a certain period of therapy. To evaluate predictors for hand motor outcome after arm ability training in the subacute stage after stroke selected from known potentially relevant parameters (initial motor strength, structural integrity of the pyramidal tract and functional motor cortex integrity).

Enhancement of motor learning by focal intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) of either the primary motor (M1) or somatosensory area (S1) in healthy human subjects.

Background: Motor rehabilitation after brain damage relies on motor re-learning as induced by specific training. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can alter cortical excitability and thereby has a potential to enhance subsequent training-induced learning. Knowledge about any priming effects of NIBS on motor learning in healthy subjects can help to design targeted therapeutic applications in brain-damaged subjects.

Changes in motor cortex excitability for the trained and non-trained hand after long-term unilateral motor training.

Repetitive unilateral upper limb motor training does not only affect behavior but also increases excitability of the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1). The behavioral gain is partially transferred to the non-trained side. Changes in M1 intracortical facilitation (ICF) might as well be observed for both hand sides.

Priming Hand Motor Training with Repetitive Stimulation of the Fingertips; Performance Gain and Functional Imaging of Training Effects.

Background: Application of repetitive electrical stimulation (rES) of the fingers has been shown to improve tactile perception and sensorimotor performance in healthy individuals.

Objective: To increase motor performance by priming the effects of active motor training (arm ability training; AAT) using rES.

Methods: We compared the performance gain for the training increase of the averaged AAT tasks of both hands in two groups of strongly right-handed healthy volunteers.

Device-Training for Individuals with Thoracic and Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury Using a Powered Exoskeleton for Technically Assisted Mobility: Achievements and User Satisfaction.

Objective. Results of a device-training for nonambulatory individuals with thoracic and lumbar spinal cord injury (SCI) using a powered exoskeleton for technically assisted mobility with regard to the achieved level of control of the system after training, user satisfaction, and effects on quality of life (QoL). Methods.

Increased ventral premotor cortex recruitment after arm training in an fMRI study with subacute stroke patients.

To investigate therapy associated changes in the cerebral representation of movement after stroke, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during an active and a passive motor task for the affected and unaffected hand before and after a three week comprehensive hand motor training. Twelve patients in the subacute phase from 2 to 9 weeks after mild to moderate motor stroke were recruited. During fMRI, the active task comprised fist clenching, which was precisely controlled for motor performance by visual feedback of force and frequency.

Effects of combining 2 weeks of passive sensory stimulation with active hand motor training in healthy adults.

The gold standard to acquire motor skills is through intensive training and practicing. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral gains can also be acquired by mere exposure to repetitive sensory stimulation to drive the plasticity processes. Single application of repetitive electric stimulation (rES) of the fingers has been shown to improve tactile perception in young adults as well as sensorimotor performance in healthy elderly individuals.

Prolonged motor skill learning--a combined behavioural training and θ burst TMS study.

Purpose: To assess the behavioural effects of prolonged motor practice in healthy volunteers, and the specific impact of inhibiting different motor-related brain regions in the late phase of motor learning using continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS).

Methods: Twelve subjects trained their non-dominant arm in eight arm motor tasks (Arm Ability Training, AAT) once a day for three weeks (16 sessions). During the last four days, training was performed before and after applying cTBS to either M1, S1, SMA, or PMC.

Early stages of motor skill learning and the specific relevance of the cortical motor system--a combined behavioural training and θ burst TMS study.

Purpose: To examine whether motor performance and motor learning in healthy subjects can be segregated into a number of distinct motor abilities which are linked to intact processing in different motor-related brain regions (M1, S1, SMA, PMC) early during learning.

Methods: Seven young healthy subjects trained in eight motor arm tasks (Arm Ability Training, AAT) once a day for 5 days using their left non-dominant arm. Except for day 1 (baseline), training was performed before and after applying an inhibitory form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS, continuous theta burst) to either M1, S1, SMA, or PMC.