Comparing Music intervention with Occupational Therapy for stroke
Official title: Playing Piano to Improve Hand Function Early After Stroke
A Piano Training Program to Improve Manual Dexterity and Upper Extremity Function in Subacute Stroke Survivors
- 2 groups
- One site, in Laval
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Other intervention
Music intervention
Participants will engage in a step-by-step piano training consisting in playing piano pieces designed to involve all 5 digits of the paretic hand and increasing in complexity. They will be using a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) piano program called Synthesia to display musical pieces on a computer screen that is adapted for people with no music reading abilities and will be playing on a touch sensitive piano keyboard. The supervised session will also be complemented with a unsupervised home program consisting of piano sequence exercises comprising short excerpts of the same musical pieces practiced during the supervised sessions and they will receive a roll-up flexible piano
- Other intervention
Occupational Therapy
Participants will receive conventional occupational therapy treatment (e.g., mobility, ADL, IALD, information session), excluding treatments focusing specifically on arm and hand motor recovery.The supervised session will also be complemented with an unsupervised home program consisting of assignments related to occupational therapy exercises and/or IALD/ADLs.
Canadian Sites (1)
1 of 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital
Laval, Quebec
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for6 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +Present a first-ever supratentorial unilateral stroke (1-24 weeks post-stroke)
- +Present some capacity of dissociation of armArmOne of the groups in a study, each receiving something different.Read more → and finger movements, as reflected by scores of 3 to 6 on the arm and hand components of the Chedoke McMaster Stroke Assessment
- +Have normal/corrected visual and auditory acuity
- +Have the capacity to follow simple instructions
- +Have no professional piano experience (only for the piano group)
Exclusion
- −Presence of visual field defect, hemineglect as well as dementia or moderate-to-severe cognitive deficits (score less than 18 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment).
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
There are 2 groups in this study.
Group A receives Music intervention.
Registry label: A: Piano group
Group B, the comparison group, receives Occupational Therapy.
Registry label: B: Conventional group
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives an existing treatment, so the two can be compared.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists an age range of 40 years to 74 years.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 30 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around October 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: Pre-intervention (week0).
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Feasibility: Characteristics of stroke participants — measured over Pre-intervention (week0).
Feasibility: Number of eligible vs. referred participants — measured over Post-intervention (week6).
Feasibility: adherence to intervention - number of completed sessions — measured over Post-intervention (week6).
Feasibility: adherence to intervention - number of piano pieces completed (piano group) vs occupational therapy exercises completed (conventional group) — measured over Post-intervention (week6).
The study lists 5 further main measurements.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06621771 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About Music interventionOther
Participants will engage in a step-by-step piano training consisting in playing piano pieces designed to involve all 5 digits of the paretic hand and increasing in complexity. They will be using a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) piano program called Synthesia to display musical pieces on a computer screen that is adapted for people with no music reading abilities and will be playing on a touch sensitive piano keyboard. The supervised session will also be complemented with a unsupervised home program consisting of piano sequence exercises comprising short excerpts of the same musical pieces practiced during the supervised sessions and they will receive a roll-up flexible piano
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a other is here: An intervention the registry did not place in another category.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About Occupational TherapyOther
Participants will receive conventional occupational therapy treatment (e.g., mobility, ADL, IALD, information session), excluding treatments focusing specifically on arm and hand motor recovery.The supervised session will also be complemented with an unsupervised home program consisting of assignments related to occupational therapy exercises and/or IALD/ADLs.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a other is here: An intervention the registry did not place in another category.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: an age range of 40 years to 74 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives an existing treatment so the two can be compared.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists an age range of 40 years to 74 years.
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Pre-intervention (week0).
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-10.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 30 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Laval, Quebec, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to study the feasibility of a 6-week piano playing training intervention in a subacute stroke population. More specifically, the investigators aim to (1) implement and test the feasibility of the intervention in the subacute stroke rehabilitation program; and (2) explore the acceptability of the supervised training sessions and home practice sessions. Researchers will also (3) estimate and contrast the effects of the piano training intervention as compared to conventional therapy on manual dexterity, coordination, functional use of the upper extremity, attention and mood. Therapy specifically provided as part of this project will be delivered above and beyond usual therapy time in both intervention groups. Participants of the piano group will: * Engage in a step-by-step musical training consisting of two supervised, individual 45-min sessions per week for 6 consecutive weeks, for a total of 12 sessions. * The supervised session will also be complemented with a biweekly home program (15 minutes) consisting of piano exercises. Participants in the conventional group will: * Engage in two individual 45-min sessions per week for 6 consecutive weeks consisting in conventional occupational therapy treatment. * They will also receive a biweekly home program consisting in occupational therapy exercises (15 minutes).
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.