Relationship between somatosensory and visuo-perceptual impairments and motor functions in adults with hemiparetic cerebral palsy.

INTRODUCTION

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) exhibit a variety of sensory impairments that can interfere with motor performance, but how these impairments persist into adulthood needs further investigation. The objective of this study was to describe the sensory impairments in adults having CP and how they relate to motor impairments.

METHODS

Nineteen adults having CP performed a set of robotic and clinical assessments. These assessments were targeting different sensory functions and motor functions (bilateral and unilateral tasks). Frequency of each type of impairments was determined by comparing individual results to normative data. Association between the sensory and motor impairments was assessed with Spearman correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

Impairment in stereognosis was the most frequent, affecting 57.9% of participants. Although less frequently impaired (26.3%), tactile discrimination was associated with all the motor tasks (unilateral and bilateral, either robotic or clinical). Performance in robotic motor assessments was more frequently associated with sensory impairments than with clinical assessments. Finally, sensory impairments were not more closely associated with bilateral tasks than with unilateral tasks.

DISCUSSION

Somatosensory and visuo-perceptual impairments are frequent among adults with CP, with 84.2% showing impairments in at least one sensory function. These sensory impairments show a moderate association with motor impairments.