23 Jan Robotics Can Be Used To Train Brain To Recover Hand Use After Stroke

Posted at 13:06h in Author Interviews, Stroke, Technology by

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

The Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) setup applied in this study. Participants imagine opening their hand without actually making any movement while their hand is placed in a device that passively opens and closes their fingers as it receives the necessary input from their brain activity.

The Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) setup applied in this study. Participants imagine opening their hand without actually making any movement while their hand is placed in a device that passively opens and closes their fingers as it receives the necessary input from their brain activity.

Professor Alireza Gharabaghi
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Alireza Gharabaghi
Ärztlicher Leiter
Sektion Funktionelle und Restaurative Neurochirurgie
Neurochirurgische Universitätsklinik
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people suffer stroke worldwide each year. Of these, 5 million die and another 5 million are permanently disabled. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. About half of all stroke survivors will never be able to use their affected hand for activities of daily living again.

The current study investigates a novel technology which may lead to new therapeutic options for these patients. 

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: When you imagine extending your fingers, while a hand robot contingently opens your hand and a concurrent magnetic pulse stimulates the respective brain area, this combined intervention may recruit additional pathways from the brain to the hand which were not active before.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? 

Response: Integrating complementary technologies may strengthen brain circuits qualitatively different and beyond the effects of each of the respective techniques applied separately.

Citations: 

Dominic Kraus, Georgios Naros, Robert Guggenberger, Maria Teresa Leão, Ulf Ziemann, Alireza Gharabaghi. Recruitment of additional corticospinal pathways in the human brain with state-dependent paired associative stimulation. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2018; 2893-17 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2893-17.2017

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Last Updated on January 23, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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