03880nas a2200205   4500008004100000022001400041245016800055210006900223260001600292520308600308100001703394700002003411700002703431700002503458700001603483700001603499700002303515700002403538856011203562       2026                        eng d  a2692-820500aBilateral Mechanoreception Discrimination based on Bihemispheric Somatosensory Response Patterns is Associated with Proprioception and Motor Function After Stroke.0 aBilateral Mechanoreception Discrimination based on Bihemispheric  c2026 Jul 273 a<p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>Stroke commonly impairs proprioception and motor function, yet the cortical sensory processes underlying these impairments remain poorly understood. Prior electrophysiological studies have primarily focused on the average magnitude of unilateral cortical sensory responses to vibration, potentially overlooking distributed and trial-to-trial features of sensory processing that may be functionally relevant to proprioceptive processing and motor performance. We therefore aimed to characterize bilateral cortical sensory responses to determine their relationships with proprioceptive and motor function.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>EEG was recorded from forty-six individuals with chronic stroke during a rapid, passive, vibrotactile stimulation paradigm applied to the left and right fingertips. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and event-related desynchronization (ERD) were quantified. Finger proprioceptive performance was assessed using a passive, robotic, finger crossing identification task, while motor function was evaluated using the Box and Block Test, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, and Nine Hole Peg Test. Associations with function were assessed using (i) unilateral sensory response magnitude at the contralateral parietal cortex and (ii) somatosensory decoder performance, defined as the accuracy with which a decoder identified the location of the stimulated hand (i.e. paretic vs. non-paretic) from combined bihemispheric response patterns. The association between these responses and proprioceptive ability and motor function was assessed. These associations were further evaluated jointly across multiple motor function measures using an exploratory analysis leveraging nonlinear dimensionality reduction and clustering.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Vibrotactile stimulation of the paretic hand elicited ipsilesional SEP and ERD that were reduced in magnitude compared to stimulation of the non-paretic hand. Both decreased SEP magnitude and reduced sensory decoder performance were associated with greater finger proprioceptive error. Unlike unilateral responses, the somatosensory decoder's performance was also strongly associated with motor function, explaining approximately 22.5% of the variance in motor performance. Dimensionality reduction and clustering across multiple motor assessment scores showed distinct subgroups, that showed significant differences in sensory decoding.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>The hemispheric distribution and discriminability of cortical sensory responses are functionally relevant markers of sensorimotor integrity after stroke. Assessing relative lateralization of somatosensory responses for each hand, rather than the magnitude of dominant contralateral responses alone, may better capture the reliability of sensory processing after stroke, as well as the distributed cortical reorganization supporting sensorimotor function. These findings support the potential value of a novel decoding-based neurophysiological measure for sensory-driven rehabilitation, biomarker development, and patient stratification.</p>1 aGupta, Disha1 aFarrens, Andria1 aGarcia-Fernandez, Luis1 aRojas, Raymond, Diaz1 aChan, Vicky1 aPerry, Joel1 aWolbrecht, Eric, T1 aReinkensmeyer, Dave  uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2026/bilateral-mechanoreception-discrimination-based-bihemispheric02038nas a2200217   4500008004100000245016300041210006900204520121400273100002301487700002701510700002501537700002801562700002101590700001601611700001701627700001601644700002001660700001101680700001101691856011801702       2025                        eng d00aTailored robotic training improves hand function and proprioceptive processing in stroke survivors with proprioceptive deficits: A randomized controlled trial0 aTailored robotic training improves hand function and propriocept3 aPrecision rehabilitation aims to tailor movement training to improve outcomes. We tested whether proprioceptively-tailored robotic training improves hand function and neural processing in stroke survivors. Using a robotic finger exoskeleton, we tested two proprioceptively-tailored approaches: Propriopixel Training, which uses robot-facilitated, gamified movements to enhance proprioceptive processing, and Virtual Assistance Training, which reduces robotic aid to increase reliance on self-generated feedback. In a randomized controlled trial, forty-six chronic stroke survivors completed nine 2-hour sessions of Standard, Propriopixel or Virtual training. Among participants with proprioceptive deficits, Propriopixel ((Box and Block Test: 7 +/- 4.2, p=0.002) and Virtual Assistance (4.5 +/- 4.4 , p=0.068) yielded greater gains in hand function (Standard: 0.8 +/- 2.3 blocks). Proprioceptive gains correlated with improvements in hand function. Tailored training enhanced neural sensitivity to proprioceptive cues, evidenced by a novel EEG biomarker, the proprioceptive Contingent Negative Variation. These findings support proprioceptively-tailored training as a pathway to precision neurorehabilitation.1 aFarrens, Andria, J1 aGarcia-Fernandez, Luis1 aRojas, Raymond, Diaz1 aEstrada, Jillian, Obeso1 aReinsdorf, Dylan1 aChan, Vicky1 aGupta, Disha1 aPerry, Joel1 aWolbrecht, Eric1 aDo, An1 aothers  uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2025/tailored-robotic-training-improves-hand-function-and-proprioceptive