Exploring Clinical and Neurophysiological Factors Associated with Response to Constraint Therapy and Brain Stimulation in Children with Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy.

Background: Perinatal stroke causes hemiparetic cerebral palsy (HCP) and lifelong disability. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and neurostimulation may enhance motor function, but the individual factors associated with responsiveness are undetermined.

Objective: We explored the clinical and neurophysiological factors associated with responsiveness to CIMT and/or brain stimulation within a clinical trial.

Methods: PLASTIC CHAMPS was a randomized, blinded, sham-controlled trial (n = 45) of CIMT and neurostimulation paired with intensive, goal-directed therapy. Primary outcome was the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA). Classification trees created through recursive partitioning suggested clinical and neurophysiological profiles associated with improvement at 6-months.

Results: Both clinical (stroke side (left) and age >14 years) and neurophysiological (intracortical inhibition/facilitation and motor threshold) were associated with responsiveness across treatment groups with positive predictive values (PPV) approaching 80%.

Conclusion: This preliminary analysis suggested sets of variables that may be associated with response to intensive therapies in HCP. Further modeling in larger trials is required.