Rehabilitation interventions including resistance training, functional and task-specific therapy, and gait or locomotor training have been shown to be successful in improving motor function in individuals with neurologic disease or injury. Recent investigations conducted in our laboratory indicate that intense resistance training coupled with task-specific functional training lead to significant gains in functional motor recovery. Similarly, gait rehabilitation involving intense treadmill training and/or task-specific locomotor training has been shown to be effective in improving locomotor ability. However, the underlying neural adaptations associated with these therapeutic approaches are not well understood. Our primary goal is to understand the motor control underpinnings of neurologic rehabilitation in order to apply this knowledge to future generations of therapeutic interventions.
This research is being done to find out if brain stimulation combined with a rehabilitation therapy improves arm weakness as a result of having a stroke. The stimulation technique is called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The treatment uses direct electrical currents to stimulate specific parts of the brain. The rehabilitation therapy is called "modified Constraint Induced Movement Therapy" (mCIMT). During this rehabilitation therapy study participants will wear a mitt on the hand of the arm that was not affected by their stroke. It is designed to restrain the use of the unaffected arm, while performing therapy with impaired one.
It is not known if brain stimulation combined with rehabilitation therapy will improve arm weakness. Study participants will receive rehabilitation therapy while on this study. Study participants may or may not receive the brain stimulation therapy.
This study involves individuals who have been diagnosed with heart failure, a condition where the heart does not pump blood as well as it should. For this study, a new software program called ALLEVIATE-HF will be studied to see if the software program can help predict worsening heart failure symptoms. The software program will be put onto a medical device called the Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitoring (ICM) System. Some participants may already have the Reveal LINQ ICM. If a participant does not already have a Reveal LINQ ICM, then the device will be inserted under the skin. The ALLEVIATE-HF software will help the device identify problems related to heart failure. The device will collect data such as the subjects heart rate and activity level. The information gathered by this system will help the study doctor/healthcare provider and the study team understand an individual subject's risk of having a heart failure event (worsening heart failure symptoms requiring additional treatment or hospitalization) so that steps can be taken to manage their heart failure.
The study will last at least 7 months but may last up to 3 years. There will be at least 2 but up to 4 visits during the study.