Investigating Sensory Plasticity in Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy following Constraint Induced Movement Therapy

Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) experience upper limb sensory processing and motor deficits. While constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is effective in improving motor hand function in HCP, its impact on sensory function remains under-investigated. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of CIMT on sensory function in children with HCP using neuroimaging and clinical diagnostic tools. Ten children with HCP attended a three-week CIMT intervention with the integration of a sensory component to optimize potential sensory change. Both magnetoencephalography (MEG) and clinical sensory/motor assessments were completed at: baseline (one week prior to CIMT), one and six months post-baseline. Clinical sensory and MEG measures were compared between all three time points. CIMT did not result in significant changes in clinical sensory modalities or MEG somatosensory processing of the affected hand. This is the first study to investigate the effect of CIMT on sensory function utilizing clinical sensory measures and neural processing.