Enhancing Motor Learning in People With Stroke Via Memory Reactivation During Sleep

Purpose: Investigate the use of repetitive delivery of task-related auditory cues, known as targeted memory reactivation (TMR), throughout a 1-hour daytime nap to enhance motor learning in individualswith chronic stroke. Research Method: Participants with a history of stroke at least 6 months prior wererecruited to perform a novel overhand throwing task to randomly appearing target locations using thenonparetic upper extremity immediately before and after a 1-hour daytime nap. Half of the participantsreceived TMR during the nap. Results: Participants who received TMR demonstrated a greater overallreduction in absolute and variable spatial errors relative to the NoTMR control group. Both groups demonstrated similar generalization of skill to 2 untrained variants of the trained task, but not to a noveluntrained task. Conclusions: This study suggests that TMR may enhance motor learning after stroke.Future studies should investigate whether TMR can lead to improvements of the paretic upper extremityduring clinically based rehabilitation interventions.