Paresis clinical trials at UC Irvine

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare arm and hand function with and without assistance from a wearable exoskeleton in individuals with neurological injury from a single stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Can a portable (i.e., body-mounted) shoulder exoskeleton increase the reachable workspace of an individual after stroke? - Can shoulder assistance from a body-mounted exoskeleton improve hand function after stroke? - Does shoulder assistance from a body-mounted exoskeleton lead to changes in functional use of the impaired limb at home? Participants will perform tasks with and without assistance from a portable exoskeleton, including: - maximal area sweeps in each of three directional planes (sagittal, frontal, transverse). - simultaneous wrist and finger extension while attempting to pick up objects of varying size from the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), and Box and Blocks (BBT) test kits. - standardized clinical assessments in a laboratory setting that have been shown to correlate with functional performance of activities of daily living including WMFT, ARAT, and BBT. - a Motor Activity Log (MAL) based on activity performed in the past week as a baseline, before wearing the exoskeleton at home for a period of 1-2 hours per day for at least 5 days. - a System Usability Scale and a second MAL corresponding with the activities performed while wearing the exoskeleton during the at-home phase. Researchers will compare functional ability measures with and without wearing the portable shoulder exoskeleton to see if the assistance improves functional performance in the arm and/or hand.