Deficits in Performance on a Mechanically Coupled Asymmetrical Bilateral Task in Chronic Stroke Survivors with Mild Unilateral Paresis

Typical upper limb-mediated activities of daily living involve coordination both arms, often requiring distributed contributions to mechanically coupled tasks, such as stabilizing a loaf bread with one hand while slicing the other. We sought examine whether mild paresis in arm results deficits performance on bilateral task. designed virtual reality-based task stabilize against spring load that varies displacement other arm. recruited 15 chronic stroke survivors hemiparesis and 7 age-matched neurologically intact adults. found produced less linear reaching movements larger initial direction errors compared controls (p < 0.05), contralesional was than ipsilesional hand. × group interaction 0.05) for peak acceleration hand, dominant right stabilized effectively nondominant left showed no differences between hands. Our indicate show significant aspects coordination, but movement-dependent this