Corticomuscular Coherence in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Feasibility and Preliminary Protocol Study.

Objective This study assessed the feasibility of corticomuscular coherence measurement during a goal-directed task in children with unilateral cerebral palsy while establishing optimal experimental parameters. Methods Participants (Manual Ability Classification System levels I-III) completed a submaximal isometric goal-directed grip task during simultaneous electroencephalography and electromyography (EMG) acquisition. Results All participants (n = 11, 6 females, mean age 11.3 ±2.4 years) completed corticomuscular coherence procedures. Of the 40 trials obtained per extremity, an average of 29 (n = 9) and 27 (n = 10) trials were retained from the more- and less-affected extremities, respectively. Obtaining measurement stability required an average of 28 trials per extremity. Conclusion Findings from this work support the feasibility of corticomuscular coherence measurement in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. Acquiring 28 to 40 corticomuscular coherence trials per extremity is ideal. The experimental parameters established in this work will inform future corticomuscular coherence application in pediatric unilateral cerebral palsy.

Improving postural symmetry: The effectiveness of the CATCH (Combined Approach to Treatment for Children with Hemiplegia) protocol.

PURPOSE: To evaluate postural symmetry in sitting and standing for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (hCP) following the Combined Approach to Treatment for Children with Hemiplegia (CATCH) protocol, an intervention combining Constraint Induced Movement Therapy, Bimanual Intensive Therapy and Neuro-Developmental Treatment. METHODS: The study included 10 children with a diagnosis of hCP and 10 typically developing age-matched peers. Subjects participated in a CATCH camp for six hours daily for eight consecutive days. Postural symmetry measurements in quiet sitting and standing were obtained using a Boditrak pressure-mapping system at four time points: prior to start of camp (T1), first day of camp (T2), last day of camp (T3), and one month post-camp (T4). RESULTS: Significant differences (p< 0.05) were found in quiet sitting when comparing postural symmetry pre-intervention and one-month post camp. In quiet standing, significant differences (p< 0.05) were found when pre-intervention was compared to one-month post-intervention. One month post-intervention, the intervention group showed no significant difference from the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Children with hCP demonstrate improvement in postural symmetry in sitting and standing following participation in a CATCH camp. Following the intervention, children with hCP continued to improve postural symmetry and approach age-matched peers.