• Sheharyar Sajjad Baig, Konstantinos Falidas, Peter J Laud, Nicola Snowdon, Muhammad Umar Farooq, Ali Ali, Arshad Majid, and Jessica N Redgrave.
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
• J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2019 Dec 1; 28 (12): 104348.

BackgroundSensory impairment is associated with reduced functional recovery in stroke survivors. Invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with rehabilitative interventions improves motor recovery in chronic stroke. Noninvasive approaches, for example, transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) are safe, well-tolerated and may also improve motor function in those with residual weakness. We report the impact of taVNS paired with a motor intervention, repetitive task practice, on sensory recovery in a cohort of patients with chronic stroke.MethodsTwelve participants who were more than 3 months postischemic stroke with residual upper limb weakness received 18 × 1 hour sessions over 6 weeks with an average of at least 300 repetitions of functional arm movements per session concurrently with taVNS at maximum tolerated intensity. Light touch and proprioception were scored as part of the Upper Limb Fugl-Meyer (UFM) assessment at baseline and postintervention (score range for sensation 0-12).ResultsEleven participants (92%) had sensory impairment at baseline of whom 7 (64%) regained some sensation (proprioception n = 6 participants, light touch n = 2, both modalities n = 1) postintervention. The maximal increase in UFM sensation score (3 points) was seen in the patient with the greatest improvement in motor function.ConclusionstaVNS paired with motor rehabilitation may improve sensory recovery in chronic stroke patients. The relative contribution of motor and sensory rehabilitation to overall functional recovery in chronic stroke needs further characterization in a larger, phase 2 study.Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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